Multifunctional Microelectronics Fibers as Implantable Bioelectronic Interfaces for Central and Peripheral Neuromodulation

Multifunctional microelectronics fiber probes can be chronically implanted in tissue of awake-behaving animals for understanding brain-viscera communication. These fiber probes can be made using thermal drawing to make hundreds of meters of flexible fiber that incorporates features such as light sources, electrodes, thermal sensors, and microfluidic channels in a multilayered configuration. The fiber mechanics can be tuned for two distinct device layouts: (1) higher-modulus, flexible brain fibers for implantation into deep-brain; and (2) soft, compliant gut fibers for implantation into the small intestine. Brain fibers can modulate the deep-brain mesolimbic reward pathway. Gut fibers can perform peripheral optogenetic stimulation of vagal afferents from the intestine to stimulate brain reward neurons. Brain and gut fibers can be connected to a control module, for example, with a coiled, stretchable interconnect that is more flexible and stretches more than even soft gut fibers, in dual-organ (gut-brain) implantation.