Neural Harmonies

A Milestone in Mind Implants

Author

The Déjà Digest
January 31, 2024

Background: Neuralink successfully implanted its brain chip in a human. It’s a major milestone in the journey to merge human cognition with artificial intelligence. The implications are vast, from potentially treating neurological disorders to enhancing human cognition. However, it also raises critical ethical and health-related questions. Some of which we ask (without answers) in our List today.

Co-founded by Elon Musk in 2016, Neuralink aims to create direct communication channels between the human brain and computers. The first implant, cheekily named "Telepathy", signifies a giant leap forward in Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI). This device, about the size of five stacked coins, promises to empower individuals, especially those with paralysis, to control devices like phones and computers merely with their thoughts.

Neuralink is just starting its journey to center of the mind, a journey that wouldn’t even have been possible without other successful biomedical engineering feats before it.

Deja Vu: One of those successful feats is the cochlear implant. Cochlear implants bridge the gap between sound and the brain, allowing individuals to perceive sounds they previously couldn't.

With over 1 million users globally, the cochlear implant are one of the most successful neural prosthesis ever. Their roots can be traced back to the 1800s when Alessandro Volta demonstrated that electric stimulation can evoke hearing. Wonder what will be around two centuries from now that has its roots in Neuralink…

Fact: A cochlear implant is different from a hearing aid. Hearing aids amplify sounds so they may be detected by damaged ears. Cochlear implants bypass damaged portions of the ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve.

Signals generated by the implant are sent by way of the auditory nerve to the brain, which recognizes the signals as sound. Hearing through a cochlear implant is different from normal hearing and takes time to learn or relearn1

Number: 5-10 years

The external parts of a cochlear implant, such as the sound processor and microphone, typically have a lifespan of around 5 to 10 years. The internal parts are intended to last indefinitely.

Word: Auditory habituation

This refers to the brain's initial adjustment to new sounds after receiving a cochlear implant. Imagine it as your brain learning a new language, gradually deciphering the electrical signals into recognizable sounds.

Profile: Jose Delgado

Delgado was a pioneering Spanish neuroscientist known for his groundbreaking work in the field of neurophysiology. He invented the stimoceiver, a radio-controlled device to wirelessly modify brain functions. One of his most famous experiments involved a bull, which he stopped mid-charge using Electrical stimulation of the brain. His research extended to humans, where he demonstrated that ESB could evoke emotions, sensations, and memories. While groundbreaking, his work also sparked ethical debates about mind control.

(We don’t have answers to these…)

  • Physical Health Risks: What are the potential long-term physical health effects of using BCI technology, particularly invasive types?

  • Ethical Dilemma: Who owns your thoughts when your brain is connected to a machine?

  • Privacy: Can your thoughts be hacked like your email?

  • Cognition Creep: Will constant brain-computer interaction turn us into attention-challenged zombies?

  • The Inequality Abyss: Will this tech widen the gap between the neuro-haves and the neuro-have-nots?

Recommended Reading: Made to Hear: Cochlear Impants and Raising Deaf Children “Curing” deafness with cochlear implants is uncertain, difficult, and freighted with judgment about what is normal, acceptable, and right. Made to Hear sensitively and thoroughly considers the structure and culture of the systems we have built to make deaf children hear.

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