The first patient with Elon Musk’s Neuralink implant suffered a life-threatening condition during surgery that later caused the brain chip to stop functioning, claims report

Neuralink’s first human trial nearly ended after patients suffered a potentially life-threatening condition shortly after implant surgery.

A new report claims that air became trapped in Nolan Arbaugh’s skull during surgery, a condition known as pneumocephalus that can cause seizures, brain abscess and death if left untreated.

The incident reportedly raised concerns among staff who discussed removing the brain implant completely, but the problem does not appear to be impacting Arbaugh’s health.

However, it may have caused the brain chip to malfunction, which Neuralink said happened on Wednesday when some of the 64 wires attaching the chip to the brain retracted, resulting in a decrease in the number of effective nodes.

Arbaugh suffered a life-altering car accident in 2016 while working as a camp counselor that left him with “absolutely no feeling” from his shoulders down.

His life changed again on January 28 when he underwent a 30-minute procedure in which a ‘sewing machine-like’ robot removed a small piece of his skull and stitched the chip into his brain.

And Arbaugh lived for more than 100 days with the Nueralink chip called Link.

However, The Wall Street Journal has claimed that Musk’s company may not have been completely open about the process.

Sources told The Journal that Arbaugh suffered from the condition during the surgery, which led to the implant possibly being removed.

In a progress update, Neuralink mentioned that some of the wires attached to the chip had retracted from the brain, but the team adjusted the recording algorithm to be more sensitive to signals from neural populations.

This resulted in “improving the techniques to translate these signals into cursor movements, and improving the user interface,” according to Neuralink’s announcement.

The company is said to have contacted the Food and Drug Administration about the incident and reported that the problem had been resolved – a measure to ensure that Neuralink’s two prospective patients can participate in the trial.

The company employs ten people this year.

And while Arbaugh had trouble at first, he’s since been playing video games with friends, posting on X, and communicating with the world digitally.

People familiar with the matter say they are still optimistic about the brain chip tests and the problems the technology could solve.

Gav Martell, co-founder of Yonalink, a technology used to collect and maintain patient data in clinical trials, said in a statement: “Challenges are inevitable in clinical trials.

‘To an outsider these may seem like major setbacks, and sometimes they are. However, every challenge also offers a learning opportunity.

‘In this case the important question of the withdrawal of the wires does not invalidate the test; rather, it forces the Neuralink team to learn real lessons and address problems. Ultimately, the goal is to produce valuable scientific findings while avoiding excessive costs and delays that could jeopardize the trial.”

Before having Link, Arbaugh could only use a tablet stylus in his mouth to operate a tablet — and his caregiver had to place it in his mouth.

Although this was his only form of communication, Arbaugh experienced discomfort, muscle fatigue, and pressure sores from holding the stylus.

“The biggest benefit of comfort is being able to lay in my bed and use (the link),” Arbaugh shared in a message he typed with his thoughts on a computer.

“Any other assistive technology had to help someone else or let me sit up.

‘Sitting causes mental and physical stress, which can cause pressure ulcers or spasms.

‘It allows me to live in my own time, without anyone having to correct me all day long, etc.’

Just weeks after the surgery, Arbaugh was able to operate his laptop using Link, which he did to play computer games with friends, surf the Internet, live stream and use other applications on his MacBook.

“(The Link) has helped me reconnect with the world, my friends and my family,” he said.

‘It has given me the opportunity to do things on my own again without needing my family day and night.’

Arbaugh spends up to eight hours a day contributing to research, but spends more than ten hours a day on weekends on personal activities.

Neuralink said he recently used the device for a total of 69 hours in one week: 35 hours of structured sessions and another 34 hours of personal use.

The company did mention that some of the wires attached to the chip had withdrawn from the brain, but the Neuarlink team adjusted the recording algorithm to be more sensitive to signals from neural populations.

This resulted in ‘improving the techniques to translate these signals into cursor movements, and improving the user interface.’

Nueralink said it is now focusing on improving cursor control performance to the same level as that of able-bodied individuals.

“In the future, we plan to extend the Link’s functionality into the physical world to enable control of robotic arms, wheelchairs and other technologies that can help increase the independence of people with quadriplegia,” the company said.

While Arbaugh’s progress update is hopeful for those who are also paralyzed, this achievement has not come without a cost.

DailyMail.com revealed in February that horrific animal testing was carried out to bring Musk’s brain chip project to life.

A week after the billionaire announced that the first patient study was underway, documents revealed that the company used ‘Bioglue’ to patch holes in the monkeys’ heads after surgeries.

The documents released by the University of Davis, California, which collaborated with Neuralink in tests for three years from 2017 to 2020, show that monkeys each underwent operations on their skulls up to 10 times before being put down.

Surgeons drilled into their heads and implants were attached to their brains, but they didn’t fit properly — meaning they protruded, the filing shows.

Death reports show monkeys having parts of their limbs amputated and euthanized after experiencing repeated vomiting and diarrhea.

All told, Neuralink has killed at least 1,500 animals, including sheep and pigs, in its search for a chip that would allow people to control electronic devices with their minds.

The documents were obtained by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a campaign group, which says the monkeys suffered ‘extreme suffering’ during a ‘systematic disregard’ for their lives.