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.
