Fiber-Based Interfaces with Central and Peripheral Neural Circuits

The interplay between the central and peripheral nervous systems is increasingly recognized as a key node in understanding complex behaviors including mood, motivation, and affect. The studies of communication between the brain and the peripheral organs have been lagging behind those of brin circuits, at least in part, due to limited tools available for causal manipulation of cells in the periphery. Unlike the brain, which is surrounded by the skull and undergoes only microscale motion, peripheral organs are mobile and offer limited options for anchoring of hardware. We leverage fiber-based fabrication to create soft and biocompatible multifunctional devices suitable for implantation into the peripheral organs as well as the brain. Specifically, we employ hydrogels and elastomers to match the mechanics of the neural tissue. We additionally take advantage of convergence fabrication to expand the array of materials suitable for fiber drawing as well as integration of solid-state electronics into fibers to enable novel sensing and actuation features. We additionally demonstrate that microelectronics-embedded fibers can be outfitted with modular wireless backends permitting remote modulation and sensing of physiological functions during behavior. We apply our fibers to interrogate circuits in the brain and in the gut, showing a possibility to control high-level behaviors from the periphery and expanding our understanding of gut-brain signaling.