Elon Musk’s brain chip firm Neuralink denies abuse of monkeys in its experiments

After being accused of harming animals in its experiments, Elon Musk’s brain implant startup Neuralink today said experiments with its brain-computer interface have always been ethical.

Neuralink hopes to connect human brains with computers. Sometimes the work means animals have to be used, although Neuralink says when that happens, the animals have been treated in the “most humane and ethical way possible.”

That’s not what the nonprofit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, PCRM, said when it lodged a complaint. It said that when Neuralink was working with researchers at the University of California, the ill-treatment of animals occurred on many occasions, including macaque monkeys having “their brains mutilated in shoddy experiments” and being left to die.

“Most of the animals had portions of their skulls removed to implant electrodes in their brains,” read the complaint, adding that this happened to 23 monkeys. The PCRM said after filing a public records legal action, it discovered this information, which also includes monkeys getting infections at injection sites and suffering trauma and seizures while locked alone in cages – not to mention some being euthanized.

From 2017 to 2020, university researchers making use of the $1.7 million in funding are accused of failing “to provide dying monkeys with adequate veterinary care, used an unapproved substance known as ‘BioGlue’ that killed monkeys by destroying portions of their brains, and failed to provide for the psychological well-being of monkeys assigned to the experiment.”

In a blog post, Neuralink responded to these claims, admitting that two monkeys had been put to death but only “to gather important histological data.” It said a further six animals were euthanized on the advice of veterinary experts. “These reasons included one surgical complication involving the use of the FDA-approved product, BioGlue, one device failure, and four suspected device-association infections,” Neuralink said.

As for lonely monkeys being traumatized in cages, Neuralink said it surpasses industry standards in how the animals are housed. It said the monkeys have a 6,000-square-foot vivarium, in which they can enjoy playtime with what it called “enrichment devices.”

It also said the animals receive around-the-clock care from a “dedicated team of veterinarians.” It added that the accusations are misleading, saying some of the sick animals already had a “wide range of pre-existing conditions unrelated to our research.”

As for the monkeys that are already implanted, a video shows one of them interacting with a computer playing a game called MindPong (pictured). This experiment, says Neuralink, is aimed at eventually enabling people with paralysis or other serious neurological conditions to control a computer with their thoughts alone. To get there, says the company, right now animals have to be chipped.

“We also look forward to a day where animals are no longer necessary for medical research,” concluded Neuralink. “Yet our society currently relies on medical breakthroughs to cure diseases, prevent the spread of viruses, and create technology that can change how people are able to interact with the world. However, if animals must be used in research in the meantime, their lives and experiences should be as vital and naturalistic as possible.”

Photo: Neuralink