Despite the challenges, the first patient to receive a brain chip is still optimistic about the results

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The first patient who underwent a Neuralink brain chip implant revealed how wonderful his clinical experience was with this distinctive technology.

Noland Arbo, 30, underwent an experimental surgery just 4 months ago, which allowed him to control computers with his thoughts.

“I'm really excited to keep going,” Arbaugh, who has been paralyzed from the fourth vertebra of his neck down since college, said of his role in the Neuralink human trial.

However, technical obstacles are still hindering the work of Elon Musk’s brain chip, as a report on the Arbo experiment stated that about 85% of the chip’s communications with his brain were cut off, forcing Neuralink employees to restart the system’s software, especially after the US Food and Drug Administration approved it. Conducting experiments on a second patient.

Arbaugh, who told his story to the New York Times, said that the natural movements of his brain, which floats in the “cerebrospinal fluid” that protects it from injury, led to the electrode-like connections slipping over time.

However, Neuralink sources told the Wall Street Journal that the defect may have been caused by air being trapped in his skull during surgery, a condition that can cause seizures, brain abscesses and death if not treated.

Although the Neuralink software fixes required Arbaugh to learn new ways to click and navigate the cursor on a computer screen, he said the accomplishment was still an improvement over what was before the Neuralink chip.

Musk's company revealed this month that it plans to implant the chip with threads deep into the brain of its second human patient, and has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Neuralink's brain-computer interface consists of a computer chip connected to small elastic threads that are sewn into the brain via a "sewing machine-like" robot. With the help of medical specialists and company employees, the robot removes a small portion of the skull, attaches these thread-like electrodes to specific areas of the brain, and then sutures the hole.

Musk said that this procedure takes only 30 minutes, will not require general anesthesia, and patients will be able to go home the same day.

But Northwestern University neuroscientist Dr. Lee Miller pointed out that the brain's immune defenses also presented challenges to transplanting brain slices.

Miller said researchers observed the growth of scar tissue in the brains surrounding the implanted sensors, which prevents the chip from communicating with the brain, among other problems.

In the years after he was paralyzed by a swimming accident, Arbaugh tried a variety of devices that failed to provide a long-term solution to his mobility needs.

Apple's Siri voice assistant on the iPad Arbo has proven to be the most reliable way to compose written text messages, contact friends, and perform other life tasks.

After installing the Neuralink chip last January, and after an intensive training period with the company's employees, Arbo was able to control the computer cursor with his mind.

Arbaugh hopes Neuralink and similar devices will one day help others regain lost speech, sight or movement.