Mark Jackson's Journey with Brain - Computer Interface: A Leap in Assistive Technology

1. Mark Jackson's Gaming Feat

Mark Jackson, a 65 - year - old paralyzed individual, engages in a unique computer game. Reclining in bed, he faces a laptop screen a few feet away where three blue circles appear. One circle turns red, becoming the target. Jackson controls a white circle, navigating it into the target while avoiding blue obstacles. Unlike traditional games using a joystick, he uses his thoughts. For left movement, he thinks of clenching his right fist once; for right movement, twice in succession. He demonstrates remarkable proficiency, hitting the target 14 out of 15 times in one session and achieving a 100% success rate previously.

2. The Brain - Computer Interface (BCI) Implant

2.1 Implant Details

A couple of years ago, surgeons in Pittsburgh implanted Jackson with an experimental BCI made by Synchron, a New York - based startup. As part of an early feasibility study, he is one of 10 people (six in the US and four in Australia) to receive this implant. The BCI decodes his brain signals to execute commands on a laptop and other devices. Besides gaming, it enables him to send text messages, write emails, and shop online.

2.2 Surgical Procedure

In July 2023, Jackson started the vetting process, and six weeks later, underwent a roughly three - hour - long surgery. Surgeons first inserted the Stentrode, a matchstick - sized wire - mesh tube, into his jugular vein at the base of his neck. Using a catheter, they threaded it through the vessel, past the ear, and into the side of the head to rest against the motor cortex. A small rectangular device was then inserted below his collarbone to process brain signals, which are beamed via infrared outside the body. A paddle - shaped receiver on his chest collects these signals, sending them via a wire to a unit that translates them into commands. When the system is operational, a pair of green lights shine through his shirt.

3. Jackson's Medical Background

Jackson's medical journey began around five years ago when he thought he had pinched a nerve in his neck while working for a wholesale floral company in Georgia, his dream job. However, in January 2021, doctors at Emory University diagnosed him with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disease causing the breakdown of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to a gradual loss of muscle control. He joined an ALS drug clinical trial but by December 2022, had to stop working due to loss of mobility. He moved in with his brother near Pittsburgh. Despite the progression of the disease, he remained positive and was eager to join another study when the drug trial ended in summer 2023.

4. Synchron's BCI in the Market

4.1 Competitor Comparison

Synchron's approach to BCI is less invasive compared to its main competitor, Elon Musk's Neuralink. Neuralink removes a piece of the skull and inserts a coin - sized device directly into brain tissue via 64 wire threads. While invasive implants like Neuralink's carry risks of brain tissue damage and bleeding, Synchron's device has concerns of blood clots and stroke, along with the general risk of infection for any implanted device. Synchron has raised $145 million to Neuralink's $1.3 billion but has attracted funding from big names like Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates.

4.2 Functionality Expansion

Synchron has been expanding the functionalities of its BCI. It rolled out a generative chat feature powered by OpenAI, connected its device to the Apple Vision Pro, integrated with Amazon Alexa, and introduced a Bluetooth protocol for BCIs in collaboration with Apple. It is now gearing up for a larger pivotal trial for commercialization.

5. The Origin of Synchron

5.1 Founders' Inspiration

Tom Oxley, Synchron's co - founder and CEO, after finishing medical school in 2005, trained in internal medicine. During his training, he spent time in a palliative care clinic for ALS patients and later befriended Rahul Sharma, a cardiologist - in - training. Sharma's talk about the shift from open - heart surgery to minimally invasive catheter - based techniques inspired Oxley to think about applying similar techniques to the brain. In 2008, Oxley came across a paper in Nature about paralyzed patients controlling a computer with a brain implant, which further excited him about BCI.

5.2 Company Formation and Development

Oxley and Sharma started thinking about putting electrodes on stents. After cold - calling Darpa in 2009, they received $1 million in funding for their concept. They formed a company, SmartStent, which became Synchron. The startup received additional grants from the Australian government, Darpa, and the Office of Naval Research. They recruited Nicholas Opie to design the Stentrode, started implanting it in sheep in 2012, and in 2019, the first human received the Stentrode in Australia.

6. BCI Technology Trade - offs

6.1 Signal Strength and Functionality

Synchron's Stentrode, from inside the blood vessel, uses 16 electrodes on the stent's surface to capture brain activity. Due to its distance from individual neurons compared to the Utah array and Neuralink device, it picks up a weaker signal, known as the "stadium effect." Neuralink's implant has over 1,000 electrodes, allowing for more information extraction, but more electrodes may not be necessary for simple tasks like moving a cursor. Oxley believes the "minimal viable product" is iPhone navigation and selection.

6.2 Future Potential

Oxley sees potential in using small blood vessels to access more parts of the brain, believing it could open up 10 times more brain coverage. More Stentrodes across the brain could enable more natural control and complex functions.

7. Key Questions and Challenges

7.1 Regulatory and Insurance Hurdles

As Synchron moves towards a pivotal trial in 2026, enrolling 30 - 50 subjects, it faces questions about the benefits of its technology and how to measure them. The FDA will require the benefits to outweigh the risks for approval in the US. Additionally, the extent of insurer coverage for this assistive device is uncertain.

7.2 Practical Limitations for Users

Jackson, despite the potential of the BCI, currently has practical limitations. He is physically connected to an exterior wire, using the device only during twice - a - week training sessions. He still relies on voice assist for most needs due to the BCI's current setup, though he acknowledges voice assist's accuracy issues and lag. BCIs, however, offer more privacy and are the only means of communication for some paralyzed patients. Jackson, a "guinea pig" for the technology, hopes for future improvements, such as incorporating robotic arm or leg devices and creating digital art with his thoughts.

Update: 7/23/2025, 11:30 AM EDT: Wired has updated the number of patients that have received Neuralink implants, which was announced following this story's publication.

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