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Electrical stimulation of gut motility guided by an in silico model.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Barth, BB; Henriquez, CS; Grill, WM; Shen, X
Published in: J Neural Eng
December 2017

OBJECTIVE: Neuromodulation of the central and peripheral nervous systems is becoming increasingly important for treating a diverse set of diseases-ranging from Parkinson's Disease and epilepsy to chronic pain. However, neuromodulation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract has achieved relatively limited success in treating functional GI disorders, which affect a significant population, because the effects of stimulation on the enteric nervous system (ENS) and gut motility are not well understood. Here we develop an integrated neuromechanical model of the ENS and assess neurostimulation strategies for enhancing gut motility, validated by in vivo experiments. APPROACH: The computational model included a network of enteric neurons, smooth muscle fibers, and interstitial cells of Cajal, which regulated propulsion of a virtual pellet in a model of gut motility. MAIN RESULTS: Simulated extracellular stimulation of ENS-mediated motility revealed that sinusoidal current at 0.5 Hz was more effective at increasing intrinsic peristalsis and reducing colon transit time than conventional higher frequency rectangular current pulses, as commonly used for neuromodulation therapy. Further analysis of the model revealed that the 0.5 Hz sinusoidal currents were more effective at modulating the pacemaker frequency of interstitial cells of Cajal. To test the predictions of the model, we conducted in vivo electrical stimulation of the distal colon while measuring bead propulsion in awake rats. Experimental results confirmed that 0.5 Hz sinusoidal currents were more effective than higher frequency pulses at enhancing gut motility. SIGNIFICANCE: This work demonstrates an in silico GI neuromuscular model to enable GI neuromodulation parameter optimization and suggests that low frequency sinusoidal currents may improve the efficacy of GI pacing.

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Published In

J Neural Eng

DOI

EISSN

1741-2552

Publication Date

December 2017

Volume

14

Issue

6

Start / End Page

066010

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Telocytes
  • Rats, Inbred F344
  • Rats
  • Myocytes, Smooth Muscle
  • Gastrointestinal Tract
  • Gastrointestinal Motility
  • Female
  • Enteric Nervous System
  • Electric Stimulation
  • Computer Simulation
 

Citation

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Barth, B. B., Henriquez, C. S., Grill, W. M., & Shen, X. (2017). Electrical stimulation of gut motility guided by an in silico model. J Neural Eng, 14(6), 066010. https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-2552/aa86c8
Barth, Bradley B., Craig S. Henriquez, Warren M. Grill, and Xiling Shen. “Electrical stimulation of gut motility guided by an in silico model.J Neural Eng 14, no. 6 (December 2017): 066010. https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-2552/aa86c8.
Barth BB, Henriquez CS, Grill WM, Shen X. Electrical stimulation of gut motility guided by an in silico model. J Neural Eng. 2017 Dec;14(6):066010.
Barth, Bradley B., et al. “Electrical stimulation of gut motility guided by an in silico model.J Neural Eng, vol. 14, no. 6, Dec. 2017, p. 066010. Pubmed, doi:10.1088/1741-2552/aa86c8.
Barth BB, Henriquez CS, Grill WM, Shen X. Electrical stimulation of gut motility guided by an in silico model. J Neural Eng. 2017 Dec;14(6):066010.
Journal cover image

Published In

J Neural Eng

DOI

EISSN

1741-2552

Publication Date

December 2017

Volume

14

Issue

6

Start / End Page

066010

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Telocytes
  • Rats, Inbred F344
  • Rats
  • Myocytes, Smooth Muscle
  • Gastrointestinal Tract
  • Gastrointestinal Motility
  • Female
  • Enteric Nervous System
  • Electric Stimulation
  • Computer Simulation