Remote optogenetic control of the enteric nervous system and brain-gut axis in freely-behaving mice enabled by a wireless, battery-free optoelectronic device.

Wireless activation of the enteric nervous system (ENS) in freely moving animals with implantable optogenetic devices offers a unique and exciting opportunity to selectively control gastrointestinal (GI) transit in vivo, including the gut-brain axis. Programmed delivery of light to targeted locations in the GI-tract, however, poses many challenges not encountered within the central nervous system (CNS). We report here the development of a fully implantable, battery-free wireless device specifically designed for optogenetic control of the GI-tract, capable of generating sufficient light over large areas to robustly activate the ENS, potently inducing colonic motility ex vivo and increased propulsion in vivo.

A comparative analysis of functional cerebral asymmetry in lesbian women, heterosexual women, and heterosexual men.

This study tested dichotic listening performance, a measure of functional cerebral asymmetry previously shown to be sexually dimorphic, in homosexual women (n=23), heterosexual women (n=27), and heterosexual men (n=24). All participants completed a verbal consonant-vowel dichotic listening task. On three laterality indices, heterosexual men displayed a significantly greater right-ear advantage compared to heterosexual women only.

A specific sexual orientation-related difference in navigation strategy.

During spatial navigation, women typically navigate an environment using a landmark strategy, whereas men typically use an orientation strategy. To examine the as yet unknown effects of sexual orientation on these normative sex differences, this study required 80 healthy heterosexual and homosexual adult men and women to provide directions from experimental maps for 4 routes. The frequency and type of strategy used by each participant were computed.

Occupational choice and patterns of cognitive abilities.

Previous studies by Govier and colleagues have shown dichotic listening performance to be related to occupation. The results of these studies were interpreted as supporting the view that both occupational choice and dichotic listening asymmetries depend upon biologically determined aspects of brain organization. The present study sought to test further the link between occupation and cognition by investigating the patterns of spatial and verbal abilities in males and females in male-dominated occupations and males and females in female-dominated occupations.

Occupation and dichotic listening performance.

A previous study has shown that dichotic listening performance was related to occupation (Govier & Bobby, 1994). That experiment used subjects drawn from a variety of professional occupations. The experiment described here tested the dichotic performance of male and female subjects in a single professional setting; medicine.