Would You Volunteer?

Like many of us, you are getting on in years. Whether through disease or simple wear and tear, the delicate mechanisms of your inner ears aren't quite what they used to be. You might be hearing spurious tones, or just not hearing some things at all. If only you could get back your younger ears. Well, could I interest you in a neuroprosthesis?

- KEN C. POHLMANN

Neuralink, a start-up company founded by Elon Musk, is developing novel neurotechnologies using brain implants that promise to treat a variety of medical conditions. One of their stated goals is to develop technology that would help remedy aged or damaged hearing. Although Neuralink’s research lies at the cutting edge of medical science, there is a technological precedent: cochlear implants.

For many in the deaf community, deafness is not considered to be an obstacle but rather is simply a way of life. For others, a cochlear implant offers a dramatic alternative. A cochlear implant is a type of neuroprosthesis. Electrodes are placed along the cochlea; electrical impulses stimulate the cochlear nerve in a manner akin to natural mechanical stimulation of hair cells inside the ear. An external device containing a microphone, a speech processor, and a transmitter, delivers an audio signal to a receiver in the implant. The cochlear nerve sends signals to the brain, which creates a sensation of hearing. You might have seen videos of people who reactions are extraordinary.