Neural implants are transforming neuroscience by creating direct interfaces between neural tissue and electronic systems. These devices can record electrical activity, deliver stimulation, or combine both functions to restore or modulate neurological function. This narrative review examines neural implants from a neuroscience perspective, with emphasis on implant architecture, neural signal acquisition, brain–computer interfaces (BCIs), neuroprosthetics, neuromodulation, neuroplasticity, biocompatibility, clinical translation and emerging closed-loop systems. Intracortical implants can provide high-spatial-resolution recordings and have enabled experimental restoration of movement and communication in people with severe paralysis. Recent speech neuroprosthesis studies have demonstrated increasingly rapid decoding of attempted speech, while other implantable systems have enabled control of robotic devices and digital interfaces. However, long-term performance remains constrained by tissue responses, electrode degradation, signal instability, surgical risk, power and telemetry requirements, and variability in neural representations. The review further considers ethical and regulatory issues, including safety, privacy, autonomy, cybersecurity and informed consent. Overall, neural implants represent both experimental tools for investigating human brain function and emerging therapeutic technologies. Progress toward clinically sustainable systems will depend on improved materials, stable interfaces, adaptive decoding, closed-loop stimulation, rigorous clinical trials and multidisciplinary collaboration among neuroscientists, engineers, clinicians and ethicists.
Keywords:neural implants; neuroscience; brain–computer interface; neuroprosthetics; intracortical recording; neuromodulation