Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1442007
T E X A S A& M U NI V E R SI T Y researchers developed a wireless, implantable device that uses light to stimulate the endings of the vagus nerve. Affixed to the stomach, the Texas A&M device suppresses hunger by prompting the vagus nerve to communicate a feeling of fullness from the stomach to the brain. Small currents in the centimeter-long device power micro-LEDs, which produce light when triggered by a remote radio frequency emitter; other vagus nerve stimulators intended to treat obesity require wires to connect to a power source. During testing in mice, the team found that vagus nerve receptors do not necessarily have to communicate to the brain that the stomach is stretched to produce satiety. "Our findings suggest that stimulating the non-stretch receptors, the ones that respond to chemicals in the food, could also give the feeling of satiety even when the stomach was not distended," said Texas A&M College of Engineering writer Rachel Rose and researcher Sung Il Park, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M, in a university news release. The team believes the device could serve as a minimally invasive alternative to gastric bypass surgery. n Researchers Uncover New Mechanism for Vagus Nerve Hunger Suppression BY THOMAS CROCKER AN INNOVATIVE DE VICE THAT STIMUL ATES THE VAGUS NERVE TO TRICK THE STOMACH INTO FEELING FULL MAY PRODUCE SATIE T Y IN AN UNE XPECTED WAY. Rao Wealth Partners is an independent firm with securities offered through Summit Brokerage Services, Inc., member FINRA and SIPC. Advisory services are offered through Summit Financial Group, Inc., a registered investment advisor. Summit is an independent broker-dealer with client assets held at First Clearing, LLC (a wholly owned Wells Fargo subsidiary). Summit and its affiliates are under separate ownership from any other named entity. You can name every bone in the body, but you can't name a single investment in your retirement account. It's time for a change. (212) 257-5794 www.raowp.com Individual Stock Selection | Corporate Retirement Accounts | Educational Savings Plans 1 2❱❱❱❱❱ I N N O V A T I O N A N D T E C H N O L O G Y