Elon Musk’s Neuralink Looking to Treat Tinnitus
- Thread starter Jack Straw
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AfroSnowman
Member
- Jul 23, 2019
- 1,080
- Tinnitus Since
- 04/2019
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Nonnatural energy source
I wouldn't want to be in the clinical trials, but I'd do it tomorrow if it proved safe and effective.
Yes.
Best case scenario: No more of this blaring, droning hell.
Worst case scenario: It malfunctions, I die, and no more of this blaring, droning hell.
I call that a win-win.
AfroSnowman
Member
- Jul 23, 2019
- 1,080
- Tinnitus Since
- 04/2019
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Nonnatural energy source
If there were a viable/safe upgrade path to replace the clinical tech with the commercial end-product, I would perhaps be willing to participate.
Although, as of now, I don't think they'll be experimenting with treating tinnitus anytime soon.
AfroSnowman
Member
- Jul 23, 2019
- 1,080
- Tinnitus Since
- 04/2019
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Nonnatural energy source
I mean, I'd be down with brain surgery in general, understanding that there is some risk, but at the end of the day, destructive as tinnitus has been to my experience of living, if you are going to start cutting and putting wires into my brain I want to understand the odds on the downside. If you muck up the brain, you can end up with problems you haven't even dreamed of yet.
All that being said, I don't know Neurosoft. Is it less cut your skull open and put wires into your brain-ish?
Neurosoft aims to implant soft, flexible electrodes in order to electrically stimulate specific brain structures – which hopefully suppresses tinnitus.
It's a like a mesh overlay that's draped across the brain or, in some cases, folded into a sulcus of the brain (if I'm not mistaken).
PRIME Study Progress Update — Second Participant
The second patient is already playing Counter-Strike. According to Elon, in a couple of years, there will be hundreds of people; in five years, there will be thousands; and in 10 years, there will be millions.
The second patient is already playing Counter-Strike. According to Elon, in a couple of years, there will be hundreds of people; in five years, there will be thousands; and in 10 years, there will be millions.
AfroSnowman
Member
- Jul 23, 2019
- 1,080
- Tinnitus Since
- 04/2019
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Nonnatural energy source
The Counter-Strike thing is cool, but please note it doesn't let the second patient fully operate the game.
It seems to let him control one of the inputs: the cursor to look around. The other inputs, such as movement, still have to be controlled with a mouth-operated input device.
Nevertheless, the article does state that they're working on expanding these capabilities – which is highly interesting. Playing a shooter is pretty complex because dozens of different user inputs occur in rapid succession.
I'm curious to see at which rate this will develop.
The article also mentions that they've improved thread retraction. Hopefully, they'll reach a point where the long-term risk of retraction is fully eliminated.
It seems to let him control one of the inputs: the cursor to look around. The other inputs, such as movement, still have to be controlled with a mouth-operated input device.
Nevertheless, the article does state that they're working on expanding these capabilities – which is highly interesting. Playing a shooter is pretty complex because dozens of different user inputs occur in rapid succession.
I'm curious to see at which rate this will develop.
The article also mentions that they've improved thread retraction. Hopefully, they'll reach a point where the long-term risk of retraction is fully eliminated.
Sign me up! I'd be over the moon if they could also sort out noxacusis/hyperacusis and visual snow syndrome.
- Nov 2, 2022
- 440
- Tinnitus Since
- 09/2022
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Ear infection/Ultra High Frequency SSHL in Right Ear
Did anyone see that Neuralink received a "Breakthrough Device Designation" from the FDA for their work on blindsight? According to an article on the topic, this designation is awarded to devices that show promise in treating or diagnosing life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating diseases or conditions. Essentially, the FDA is signaling to Neuralink, "This could be big, let's not dilly-dally with the red tape."
This designation allows Neuralink to fast-track their development, which is pretty amazing. I genuinely hope they achieve all the success they can. Still, I can't help but think, "If only our community could have a breakthrough designation for a device, too."
This designation allows Neuralink to fast-track their development, which is pretty amazing. I genuinely hope they achieve all the success they can. Still, I can't help but think, "If only our community could have a breakthrough designation for a device, too."
Neuralink has been approved for trials in Canada.
And then there's the whole thing of Elon Musk becoming an active part of the US government, which will surely yield him certain benefits (including Neuralink).
Good 'ol nepotism. Hopefully this won't adversely affect any trial patients.
And then there's the whole thing of Elon Musk becoming an active part of the US government, which will surely yield him certain benefits (including Neuralink).
Good 'ol nepotism. Hopefully this won't adversely affect any trial patients.
I'm skeptical. It has been 30 to 40 years since I developed tinnitus, and of course, nothing has come along to help it yet. I do not see how this thing of Musk's would work. It does not address the very strong neural connections in our brains that form due to inner ear issues.
First comes tinnitus, then the neural links—that much we know. But there is no science on earth today that can go in and remove individual neural connections or even isolate them. We are dealing with humans whose brains have more possible synaptic connections than there are atoms in the known universe, and these connections are constantly forming and changing.
Good luck with that.
First comes tinnitus, then the neural links—that much we know. But there is no science on earth today that can go in and remove individual neural connections or even isolate them. We are dealing with humans whose brains have more possible synaptic connections than there are atoms in the known universe, and these connections are constantly forming and changing.
Good luck with that.
The idea is that, hypothetically, Neuralink could be developed to target the maladaptive neural synchrony that leads to tinnitus.
Currently, however, Neuralink is specifically being developed and tested as a brain-computer interface (BCI). While this alone is an impressive achievement, I believe we are still a long way from Neuralink actually curing anything.
The rapid advancement of AI might speed things up, though. Once the BCI component is fully developed and optimized, advanced AI models could potentially analyze neural synchronization in the brain and find solutions.
Unfortunately, we have no idea how long this might take. Furthermore, AI could theoretically reach a point of singularity before this happens—leading to treatments that might make Neuralink redundant.
Technologically speaking, humanity is at an interesting crossroads compared to 30 or 40 years ago. Let's hope it leads to something good.
Links in the table at the bottom of the page show that the plan is to recruit up to six participants for the upcoming CAN-PRIME study in Canada.
The original PRIME study, which includes the three current patients, was initially planned for up to five participants in total.
The follow-up study for PRIME is CONVOY (Control of Assistive Devices Via Brain-Computer Interface Technology), where patients who already have the BCI attempt to learn how to control devices such as an assistive robotic arm (ARA). The number of participants in CONVOY is three, which matches the number of currently known patients.
- Jan 16, 2020
- 493
- Tinnitus Since
- 1992
- Cause of Tinnitus
- noise? infection? negative stress? other?
Tinnitus since December 2023? Hang in there. There's a good chance you're over the worst of it by now.
Curing hearing loss is probably much more difficult and curing tinnitus will just be a byproduct.
IYIiKe
Member
- Jan 18, 2024
- 230
- Tinnitus Since
- 2023
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Possible Ototoxic Reaction to Sertraline and Hydroxyzine
IYIiKe
Member
- Jan 18, 2024
- 230
- Tinnitus Since
- 2023
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Possible Ototoxic Reaction to Sertraline and Hydroxyzine
Exclusive: FDA staff reviewing Musk's Neuralink were included in DOGE employee firings, sources say
Yeah, it's a no from me, dawg.
Real-life Lex Luthor.
Yeah, it's a no from me, dawg.
Real-life Lex Luthor.
Here are some interesting videos about the bionic eye and Neuralink:
From a layman's perspective, the eye appears to be a far more complex sensory organ than the ear. Its resolution is significantly higher than that of the cochlea, and the ability to perceive colors adds another layer of complexity.
In its initial phases, Neuralink is aiming to develop a sensor with a resolution of up to 16,000 pixels, which is nowhere near the level of detail a normal eye can perceive.
However, 16,000 frequencies far exceed what the average middle-aged person with normal hearing can detect.
From a layman's perspective, the eye appears to be a far more complex sensory organ than the ear. Its resolution is significantly higher than that of the cochlea, and the ability to perceive colors adds another layer of complexity.
In its initial phases, Neuralink is aiming to develop a sensor with a resolution of up to 16,000 pixels, which is nowhere near the level of detail a normal eye can perceive.
However, 16,000 frequencies far exceed what the average middle-aged person with normal hearing can detect.
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