System and Methodology to Study and Stimulate Gastric Electrical Activity in Small Freely Behaving Animals

Aim: To develop and validate a system that can wirelessly acquire gastric slow waves and deliver electrical pulses to the stomach. Materials & methods: The system is composed of a front-end and a back-end unit connected to a computer, which runs a custom-made graphical user interface. The system was validated on benchtop and in vivo studies. Results: Benchtop validation showed an appropriate frequency response to acquire slow waves. Moreover, the system was able to deliver electrical pulses at amplitudes up to ±10 mA. Slow wave activity recorded from the stomach of rats was in the range of approximately five cycles per minute (cpm). Pulses delivered to the stomach of a rat every 15 s and reduced the activity to 4 cpm during the stimulation period. Conclusion: This study reports the first wireless system and methodology that can be used to acquire slow waves and deliver electrical stimulation to the stomach of small freely behaving animals.