Neurosurgeon Matt MacDougall of Neuralink describes the brain as functional modules duct-taped together, citing a crash patient who lost impulse control after bilateral frontal lobe damage. He also covers laser ablation of deep tumors through a 2 mm drill hole under real-time MRI, which can treat tumors once considered inoperable.
Neuralink's first goal is letting people with severe spinal cord injury control a cursor and keyboard through motor cortex signals. A robot places electrodes thinner than a hair, since human hands can't manage the precision or avoid dense surface vessels; a surgeon still opens the skull. Decoders and users adapt to each other, and monkeys have set bit-rate records. A brain implant paired with a spinal cord implant could later restore body control. He defends animal research: pigs test safety, monkeys validate signals, and there is no food or water deprivation. Over 10 to 20 years he hopes to treat addiction, depression and obesity, and later enable AI integration and opt-in brain-to-brain communication.