Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: A major regulator of gastrointestinal physiology is the enteric nervous system. This division of the autonomic nervous system is unique in its extensiveness, with neurons distributed from the esophagus to the rectum, and its capability for local information processing. However, the constant motion of the gut, arising from its relative movements in the peritoneal cavity and the peristaltic movements associated with gut motility, as well as the sparse distribution of the neurons constituting the enteric nervous system, has made access and analysis exceedingly challenging. Here, we present the construction and validation of a bioelectronic implant for accessing neural information from the distal colon. Our bioelectronic monitoring system demonstrates real-time electrophysiological recording in response to chemical and mechanical distension under anesthesia and to feeding and stress in freely-moving animals. Direct access to the communication pathways of the enteric nervous system paves the way for neuromodulation strategies targeting the gut – brain axis.
Source: Nature Communications
Authors: Alexander J. Boys, Amparo Güemes, Liang Ma, Rohit A. Gupta, Zixuan Lu, Chaeyeon Lee, Salim El-Hadwe, Alejandro Carnicer-Lombarte, Tobias E. Naegele, Friederike Uhlig, Damiano G. Barone, David C. Bulmer, Jennifer N. Gelinas, Niall P. Hyland, Dion Khodagholy, George G. Malliaras, Róisín M. Owens
Language: English
Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,990
Funders: National Institute for Health and Care Research, Department of Health and Social Care, Royal Academy of Engineering, Research Councils UK, Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, Rosetrees Trust, Science Foundation Ireland, Cambridge Trust, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Air Force, Medical Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, United States Department of the Air Force
Awards: G1255809747, G1680483594, G2493601830, G2537968379, G2989787381, G355476329, G4141580393, Enabling technologies, G4753630297, G5098725405, APC_Phase 2, G5299018425, G5396510162, EPSRC IRC in Targeted Delivery for Hard-to-Treat Cancers, G7100031956, G7994596859, GO-AHEAD "Gastrointestinal Oxytocin is importAnt in HEalth And Disease", G8943395469, Cancer Center Support Grant
OpenAlex ID: W4416423030