2024-01-31 11:27:48
Elon Musk has proposed to contribute his grain of sand also in the field of health. To do this, it has transferred its technology with a startup, Neurolink, to the improvement of conditions. As announced by the tycoon himself on his X account (on Twitter), they have implanted a brain chip called Telepathy in a human for the first time. This implant recipient is recovering satisfactorily, but his long-term evolution remains to be seen. Therapies through sensor implantation are nothing new and in Spain there have already been satisfactory cases, such as the case of cochlear implants or chips against epilepsy.
This Elon Musk brain chip now aims to be an innovation with the objective of restoring those brain functions that have been affected, such as in cases of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or heart attacks. These types of treatments are mainly aimed at improving the quality of life of many patients applied to the devices. However, the development of this new technology by Elon Musk raises some doubts for medical and scientific professionals, as these therapies are still in their most experimental phase.
What is Elon Musk’s brain chip like?
Thelepaty, telepathy in Spanish, seeks precisely to be the brain reader of patients with conditions. The implant surgically inserted into the brain connects to specific regions to then interpret brain signals and send them via Bluetooth connection to devices or computers. This would mean that injuries due to heart attacks or strokes, or loss of functions due to ALS or Parkinson’s disease, could be restored, as may be the case of speech.
Elon Musk himself, using his social network, has announced that the initial processes of implanting this brain chip will be done in people who have lost their limbs.
Cochlear implants or chips against epilepsy: something already invented
Despite the great technological deployment that Elon Musk has, this brain implants or chips is nothing new. Although it may have significant differences in terms of implantation or regions to be treated, this therapy has already been used in recent years. The proof is in those cochlear implants that are used by around 18 thousand people in Spain and that allow people who are deaf or deaf to hear again.
The cochlear implant restores the function of the damaged inner ear and is made up of two parts. An external one, which is responsible for collecting sounds; and an internal one, which converts external signals into electrical signals and sends them to the auditory nerve and the brain to interpret them. From that moment on, hearing progressively recovers.
On the other hand, a recent discovery has been the implantation of a chip capable of stopping epileptic seizures. A trial in which the Epilepsy Unit of the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona is a participant. With a subcutaneous sensor, professionals have managed to monitor these epileptic seizures 24 hours a day. A 39-year-old patient, diagnosed with epilepsy since childhood, is the protagonist of this research that has yielded satisfactory results. The patient claims to have not felt epileptic seizures since he was implanted.
This sensor is implanted behind the ear to record electrical brain discharges and prevent the aforementioned epileptic seizures. Connected to an iPod-type device via cable, it transmits data via Wi-Fi, in this case to the Hospital del Mar, allowing specialists to remotely monitor the patient’s brain activity and anticipate possible anomalies.
References
Antaviana, C. (sf). Epilepsy Unit of Hospital del Mar – Epilepsy Unit – Mar Health Park. https://www.parcdesalutmar.cat/es/epilepsia/
Cochlear implants. (sf). NIDCD. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/es/espanol/implantes-cocleares
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