Wireless optoelectronic systems for closed-loop regulation of pain and organ dysfunction

The ever-expanding set of optogenetic tools has provided many elegant approaches for manipulating activity and signaling in cells, and has led to an explosion of new findings in neuroscience. Widespread implementation of optogenetics in studies of the peripheral nervous system (PNS), however, has been slowed by a unique set of obstacles, notably the challenge of consistent and restricted delivery of light to the neurons expressing opsins in the PNS. This presentation describes the development of an evolving set of tools for wireless, targeted illumination of neurons in the peripheral nervous system. As a case study, we present studies describing the implementation of wireless optogenetic manipulation of sensory afferents innervating the bladder for the control of bladder sensation and function. The devices and real-time analytical capabilities developed enable closed-loop manipulation of bladder pain and voiding dysfunction in freely moving animals, and suggest the potential for broad application of closed-loop manipulations to regulate a variety of physiological processes.