Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's brain-chip startup Neuralink said on Tuesday that it has received approval from an independent review board to start the first human trial of its brain implant for paralysis patients.

The study aims to test the safety and efficacy of Neuralink's wireless, implantable brain-computer interface, to enable people with paralysis to control external devices with their thoughts, the company said.

Neuralink said patients with paralysis due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis may qualify for the trial.

(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai)