Can Neuralink really offer a potential cure for disease and depression?
Tesla and SpaceX pioneer Elon Musk isn’t afraid of making big statements. And perhaps none are bigger than his most recent Neuralink announcement.
At the end of August, Musk announced his vision for the very future of humankind. His live webcast updated the world on Neuralink, a company he started in 2016. Its remit? Linking technology with the human brain through what Musk says is “like a Fitbit in your skull”.
How will Neuralink work to treat disease?
Musk says that the Neuralink, as demonstrate on three pigs he brought along to the announcement, is a tiny brain implant that could eventually hold the cure for any number of illnesses. He says that it could be the answer to neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis. He also says it could cure depression, OCD and anxiety.
The implantable brain chip is exactly the sort of cyber-augmentation that Musk often talks about. He thinks that the answer to disease and depression lies in the integration of technology and the human brain. In effect, he believes technology like this can help humans transcend their physical form.
Consisting of thousands of hair-like threads that transport electrodes, the device can communicate with external computers and with other chips in the body. Each of the three pigs in the demonstration had two implants already in their brains and certainly appeared normal on the surface. Whether that can translate to human beings remains to be seen.
Neuralink and its potential to treat depression
Neuralink has benefited from an investment of $100 million of his own capital, and Musk says that the company is actively recruiting and expanding. He also says that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has now designated Neuralink as a ‘Breakthrough Device’. This is vital for its development as it speeds up and eases the length regulatory process.
During the presentation, Musk claimed that Neuralink will one day eradicate all kinds of illnesses. Among these are “important brain and spine problems”, memory loss, brain damage, depression and even blindness.
For me, the interest lies in the claims surrounding Neuralink’s potential to treat depression. Globally, depression blights the life of approximately 264 million people. It is one of the biggest causes of the burden of healthcare in every country, and one of the biggest causes of chronic illness.
At present, we can only treat depression through a combination of wellness techniques, therapy and drugs. Sometimes this combination works and sometimes it doesn’t. People with depression struggle in profound ways and Neuralink could give some hope to this enormous number of sufferers. But it seems that Musk’s plans for Neuralink go even further than eradicating disease.
The future of AI and humanity
Musk is vocal about artificial intelligence and what it means for humanity. He is on record talking about AI’s potential to outpace human beings and has even said it presents more of a threat to the world than nuclear weapons. It’s likely, therefore, that Neuralink is part of Musk’s ongoing attempt to retain control over the human/AI interface. He says that it’s essential for humanity to come up with a viable way to coexist with AI .
In the short term, there could be other ways for the device to make money. On Twitter, Musk has talked about its potential to stream music directly into our heads, or power external devices through thought. It’s this mix of medical promise, commercial enterprise and futuristic tech that makes Neuralink so compelling.
The idea that a brand-new technology could sweep in and cure illness and depression is certainly bound to get people excited. But before we get too carried away, it’s worth reviewing what scientists say.
Scientists give mixed reviews of Neuralink update
Firstly, scientists are keen to point out that there has been research going on into brain-machine interfaces since the 1970s. Experiments show that patients can move external devices when they have external electrodes fitted. So the idea itself isn’t new. In fact, the concept of manipulating the brain for treating depression isn’t new either.
Neuralink’s main breakthrough is the sheer number of electrodes it can use — ten times more than any other device. This means unprecedented data can be transmitted. And this is impressive technology to neuroscientists. Graeme Moffat from the University of Toronto says that the technology is “order of magnitude leaps” ahead of anything else available.
Another innovation from Neuralink is the development of a surgical robot that can insert the tiny wires into the brain. The ultimate aim is to offer the procedure as simple, safe day surgery.
Some scientists remain sceptical, particularly about the broader concepts Musk claims are possible. For example, Musk says that Neuralink could record memories, but this is the kind of higher-level brain functions many neuroscientists do not think is possible with this technology. Some say that Neuralink represents impressive technology buried in a level of hype that shows “a failure of knowledge of biology.”
The future is not yet here
However, Neuralink is still hugely exciting and feasibly has a lot of scope for medical treatments. Musk is unclear when it comes to giving a solid timeline for this new frontier in physical and mental health treatment. And it’s important not to forget that Musk is known for big statements that don’t always come to pass. He’s currently talking about his plans to colonise Mars, and once predicted that by the end of 2020 there would be a million self-driving vehicles on the road…
This kind of technology is the future, and I think it’s entirely feasible that one day it will help people suffering from depression. But I also think it’s likely that we are in the very early stages of anything like that happening and may not see it in this lifetime. Some in the scientific community are openly concerned about “the ethics of creating false hope” in desperate patients that may not live to see the results.
