Elon Musk reveals first human patient has received a brain implant from his startup Neuralink

Neuralink’s billionaire founder, Elon Musk said the first human received an implant from his brain-chip startup on Sunday, Jan. 28, and is recovering well.

He disclosed this in a post on X on Monday, Jan. 29.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had given the company clearance last year to conduct its first trial to test its implant on humans.

“Initial results show promising neuron spike detection,” Musk added.

Spikes are activity by neurons, which the National Institute of Health describes as cells that use electrical and chemical signals to send information around the brain and to the body.

The startup’s Prime study is a trial for its wireless brain-computer interface to evaluate the safety of the implant and surgical robot.

The study will assess the functionality of the interface, which enables people with quadriplegia, or paralysis of all four limbs, to control devices with their thoughts, according to the company’s website.

Neuralink received FDA clearance last year for its first trial to test the company’s implant in humans, a critical milestone for the startup. Reuters reported in June that the company was valued as high as $5bn, based on private stock trades.

Neuralink announced the implant trial in September. The company said that during the study, a robot developed by the company will surgically place the implants’ “ultra-fine” threads that help transmit signals in participants’ brains.