Optogenetic Stimulation of Peripheral Vagus Nerves using Flexible OLED Display Technology to Treat Chronic Inflammatory Disease and Mental Health Disorders

Abstract : This work explored the viability of a biophotonic alternative to conventional prescription-drug-based treatments for inflammatory disease and mental health disorders using a non-invasive drug-free optogenetics-based therapy that treats patients by optically stimulating afferent branches of the auricular vagus transcutaneously via the outer ear using a high-resolution, addressable array of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) manufactured on a flexible plastic substrate. Preliminary analysis and optical measurements indicate that our 620 nm flexible red OLED display technology is bright enough to induce therapeutic optical stimulation in optogenetically modified neural tissue.