Elon Musk said his Neuralink brain chip could help treat morbid obesity. Scientists say it's a long shot – but not an impossibility.

Musk thinks his Neuralink brain chip could be used to treat morbid obesity. The billionaire's dream is not as far-fetched as it may seem.

Professor Andrew Jackson, an expert in neural interface atNewcastle University, told Insider that he doesn't think it is more implausible than other claims.

Musk made the suggestion in a TED interview on April 14, adding morbid obesity to a growing list of ailments he believes Neuralink could help treat.

The concept of a brain chip that could help people lose weight is still a long way off, but it is promising if the right science is used.

A brain implant to lose weight?

Neuralink is a company founded by Musk that is developing a chip that can be implanted into the skull. The tiny wires in the device allow it to read into the brain.

Musk has named a number of neurological disorders he believes Neuralink could treat. He has made far-fetched claims about the chip, including that it could be used to help people with disabilities.

There is no further information about how Neuralink could help tackle obese people.

Sadaf Farooqi, a professor of metabolism and medicine at the University of Cambridge, said that the concept is feasible.

She said that they have shown that in some people with severe obesity, the function of a particular brain region, the hypothalamus, drives an increase in appetite.

The hypothalamus is located in the center of the brain and plays a vital role in the control of hormones.

If you could find a way to target that particular region and even those particular neurons that drive appetite, then in theory, a drug or a technology that did that could improve the lives of patients.

Jackson said that a brain implant would be less intrusive than other treatments. Changing the shape and function of a patient's digestive system is one of the treatments that involve SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA SALVAGEDATA

Early tests yield mixed results

Some researchers are so confident in brain implant technology that they have moved to early proof-of-concept trials on humans.

Six morbidly obese people were involved in a trial that involved a brain implant that sent electrical impulses to the hypothalamus. One participant lost more than 100 pounds, three lost a little weight but not a lot, and the other two lost no weight at all.

Only one of three participants lost weight in a similar trial. There is a small trial going on.

The trials are very much at the forefront of their field.

The fact that they have gone ahead and that there has been some benefit for some people is encouraging.

Treating the symptoms or the cause

The chair of metabolic surgery at King's College London said brain implant technology was promising but a chip focused on appetite reduction would likely fail.

He said that anything they have tried has not worked.

The way people eat may be the reason they are overweight. Rubino said it could be that the body doesn't regulate weight properly by burning available fat for energy.

Rubino said you could cut the problem at the source if you could find the cause of the disease and target it with an implant.

A brain chip that can fight obesity is a long way off. Neuralink, for one, has yet to receive approval for human testing and Musk said in his TED interview that once the company can begin implanting chips in brains, it will focus on brain and spine injuries for a decade.

Jackson said that there is still a lot of science that would be needed to deliver this as a therapy.