The first time you hear that the eccentric billionaire who owns Twitter wants to implant a microchip in people’s heads, you probably have more questions than answers. Elon Musk’s Neuralink looks, at first glance, like something out of a dystopian fiction novel, but there might be an upside. One of the things Musk has said his brain chips can do is fight common mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. If it’s true, this is big news, since these are among the most prevalent mental and emotional health disorders in the United States, and nearly 40% of people with one or more of them never get the treatment they need.
What are the benefits of Musk’s Neuralink ideas, and can they help with mental health issues? What are the ethical considerations that come with this new technology, and what’s the way forward? Finally, is there help for mental health problems that’s available right now and doesn’t require implanting technology in your head?
What Is Elon Musk’s Neuralink?
Elon Musk started Neuralink in 2016, when his company developed a computer chip that can be attached directly to the human brain on one end and a computer linkup on the other. The devices were approved for implantation into the human body on an experimental basis in May 2023, with clinical trials scheduled immediately.
From the start, Musk has maintained that his brain chips open up a world of possibilities for people to live their lives in unprecedented new ways. A person with a chip implanted could, for instance, remotely control extensions like robotic arms, drones, smart home appliances and the like. They could also theoretically receive inputs directly — sort of the equivalent of running a web search with a thought or communicating with other people in what amounts to telepathy across continents.
Musk has been enthusiastic about his experimental technology, but when he’s tried to talk up the benefits of computer-brain interfaces, the talk inevitably turns toward mental health. Perhaps the most shocking claim Musk and others have made for Neuralink is the effect they think it could have in treating a range of serious mental health disorders, including anxiety, depression and Alzheimer’s disease. This makes headlines for the company, but clinical trials are needed before any definite statements can be made about the health benefits of Neuralink on Alzheimer’s, dementia or other common disorders.
Neuralink’s Potential Benefits
Each of Neuralink’s claimed or potential health benefits is testable, and hard data may be available after the first round of medical trials have been done in 2023 or 2024. Until that happens there’ll be mostly speculation, but the proposed mechanisms of treatment are intriguing.
Neuralink and Anxiety/Depression
The brain is an electrochemical machine, and Neuralink’s 1,024-wire chip, known as The Link, is designed to interface directly with the brain cells using substantially the same system. Using advanced AI, the system can allegedly interpret activity in the brain as symptoms of anxiety or depression and apply very mild electrical stimulation to correct misfiring behavior by the neurons. When it’s done outside the head, this is called electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), formerly known as shock therapy. As alarming as that sounds, modern ECT uses very low voltage and is generally regarded as a low-risk procedure with definite benefits for lots of emotional and mental health issues, including depression and anxiety.
Neuralink and Alzheimer’s/Dementia
Alzheimer’s disease, progressive dementia, epilepsy and many other physical brain disorders don’t have obvious or clear causes, but it’s widely theorized that their progression can be slowed or stopped with regular stimulation of the affected parts of the brain. This works almost like exercise does for your muscles, with routine stimulation of neurons effectively toughening them up and preventing their loss, a characteristic of many age-related neurological diseases. The Link may or may not be able to show progress in slowing down progressive degeneration in human brains.
Neuralink and Paralysis
When it comes to managing paralysis caused by stroke or physical injuries, Neuralink is on firmer ground. Earlier chips from different companies have long ago validated the idea that direct neural inputs can be used to control prosthetic limbs, mobility devices or other extensions of a person’s body. A simple interface with machine tools might also be a less ethically fraught area for Elon Musk’s Neuralink to focus on.
Ethical Considerations
If Neuralink stopped there, people might have few or no ethical concerns about it. At least the matter would be less controversial than drug therapy or routine prosthetic implants. But Musk has made more claims for The Link, and some of them raise hackles for everyone, even generally tech-positive people.
Neuralink and Improved Cognition
One of the more alarming claims for Neuralink is that it can be a kind of “FitBit for the brain.” That is, otherwise healthy people could use a Neuralink transceiver to enhance their natural abilities and suddenly become super-smart and powerful. While the technology is still a fair distance from “Doc Ock” levels of menace, the prospect of a few select humans operating with what amounts to super genius-level IQ and crushing robotic arms certainly paints a picture.
Neuralink and Mood Management
Another ethical issue touches on people’s religious and spiritual beliefs. Many people view mental health as partly a medical concern and partly a spiritual one. To many of these people, the thought of overcoming temptation, vice or the consequences of sin by jamming a computer chip in their brain is not just worrying, it’s offensive. Even less religious people can be worried about whether the technology will ever develop to the point where electronic happy pills can be dispensed on command, effectively sabotaging humanity’s desire to improve the world and rendering the public helpless.
The Way Forward With Neuralink
The vast ethical considerations Neuralink brings up are not necessarily in conflict with the equally vast promises the technology makes. However the human trials turn out, something like The Link is likely to become available sooner or later, and people need to start planning for it. Ethical systems may need adjustment, arguments will have to be held and laws may have to be passed or changed (copyright protection for private thoughts?) to account for what might be a powerful new tool in humanity’s kit.
Your mental health affects almost every part of your life and health. If you find yourself dealing with a mental health issue, from moderate stress to depression and other serious conditions, it’s always a good idea to talk to a sympathetic and compassionate mental health professional. Contact Sun Health Center for a free and confidential consultation today.
