Noland Arbaugh
First human recipient of a Neuralink implant
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ToursExplore Lably’s 3D toursAfter a spinal cord injury left him paralyzed below the shoulders, he gained public attention for using the device to regain some independence in using a computer, including controlling a cursor and playing online chess with his thoughts.
Arbaugh was the first recipient of a Neuralink implant, but not the first person to receive an implanted brain-computer interface.
Early life and injury
Arbaugh grew up in Yuma, Arizona, attended Texas A&M University, studied international studies, and joined the university's Corps of Cadets. In 2016, while working as a counselor at Island Lake Camp in Starrucca, Pennsylvania, Arbaugh suffered a cervical spinal cord injury in a swimming accident. He was pulled from the water after losing consciousness, and emergency surgery did not restore his mobility. The injury left him paralyzed below the shoulders. He later underwent rehabilitation at Helen Hayes Hospital in New York and Craig Hospital in Colorado before returning to Yuma to live with his family. After the accident he relied on his family and other caregivers for much of his daily care. Before receiving the implant, he used a mouth stick, voice control, and other assistive methods to operate an iPad and similar devices.
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Neuralink trial
In September 2023, after a friend from military school told him that Neuralink had begun recruiting for human trials, Arbaugh applied to the study. He began screening through the Barrow Neurological Institute the following day and, about three months later, was told that he had been selected as the first participant.
Arbaugh underwent surgery at Barrow in Phoenix, Arizona in late January 2024. Elon Musk announced on January 29 that the first human patient had received the device and was recovering well, and Reuters later identified the participant as Arbaugh. Arbaugh said the surgery was straightforward and that he was discharged the following day without cognitive impairment.
Arbaugh received Neuralink's N1 implant, which uses 64 flexible threads carrying 1,024 electrodes to record neural activity in the motor cortex and translate intended movement into computer control. He later said he learned to use the system through both attempted and imagined movement.
On March 20, 2024, Neuralink released a livestream showing Arbaugh moving a computer cursor and playing online chess using the implant. He also said the device had allowed him to resume playing Civilization VI and other video games. In interviews with Bloomberg, WIRED, and ABC News, Arbaugh said the implant had restored a significant measure of independence by letting him use a computer without physical assistance.
About a month after surgery, some of the implant's threads retracted from Arbaugh's brain, reducing the number of effective electrodes and degrading performance. Neuralink had told him that only about 15% of the implanted threads remained in place. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had earlier raised safety concerns about the threads, and Reuters reported that Neuralink had encountered similar retraction risks in animal testing. Arbaugh said that the prospect of losing the device's benefits was emotionally difficult and that he feared the implant might have to be removed. Neuralink said software modifications improved performance. By July 2024, the threads had become stable, and Neuralink had changed surgical techniques for later implants.
Reuters quoted neural engineering expert Kip Ludwig as saying that the demonstration was promising but not a breakthrough and that the technology remained at an early stage. A 2025 systematic review estimated that about 80 people worldwide had received implantable brain-computer interfaces, and Arbaugh was the first recipient of a Neuralink implant but not the first implanted BCI user.
By August 2025, Fortune reported that Arbaugh was using the device about 10 hours a day, had enrolled in prerequisite classes at a community college in Arizona for a degree in neuroscience, and was developing a business focused on paid public speaking engagements.