Appetite-Suppressing Implant

Battery-free implant to suppress appetite
Between the brain and the belly, the vagus nerve signals hunger and fullness. It is known that vagus nerve stimulation can suppress appetite, and with that in mind, engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have designed a stimulator that has shown promise in animal studies. “It is tiny, battery-free and generates its electrical stimulations in response to real-time stomach movements. The device is powered by the undulations of the walls of the stomach, meaning it not only needs no battery but it only activates its stimulation in response to the peristalsis of the stomach when a person begins eating.” Presumably, this could be implanted in the stomach and replace the need for gastric bypass. MORE
Image Credit: Sam Million-Weaver, University of Wisconsin-Madison