Organ-specific, multimodal, wireless optoelectronics for high-throughput phenotyping of peripheral neural pathways

Nat Commun. 2021 Jan 8;12(1):157. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-20421-8.

Abstract

The vagus nerve supports diverse autonomic functions and behaviors important for health and survival. To understand how specific components of the vagus contribute to behaviors and long-term physiological effects, it is critical to modulate their activity with anatomical specificity in awake, freely behaving conditions using reliable methods. Here, we introduce an organ-specific scalable, multimodal, wireless optoelectronic device for precise and chronic optogenetic manipulations in vivo. When combined with an advanced, coil-antenna system and a multiplexing strategy for powering 8 individual homecages using a single RF transmitter, the proposed wireless telemetry enables low cost, high-throughput, and precise functional mapping of peripheral neural circuits, including long-term behavioral and physiological measurements. Deployment of these technologies reveals an unexpected role for stomach, non-stretch vagal sensory fibers in suppressing appetite and demonstrates the durability of the miniature wireless device inside harsh gastric conditions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Appetite / physiology*
  • Behavior Observation Techniques / instrumentation
  • Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / genetics
  • Chemoreceptor Cells / physiology
  • Equipment Design
  • Female
  • High-Throughput Screening Assays / instrumentation*
  • Male
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Models, Animal
  • Neural Pathways / physiology
  • Optogenetics / instrumentation*
  • Remote Sensing Technology / instrumentation
  • Stomach / cytology
  • Stomach / innervation
  • Stomach / physiology*
  • Vagus Nerve / cytology
  • Vagus Nerve / physiology*
  • Wireless Technology / instrumentation

Substances

  • Calca protein, mouse
  • Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide