Recording and manipulation of vagus nerve electrical activity in chronically instrumented unanesthetized near term fetal sheep

The chronically instrumented pregnant sheep has been used as a model of human fetal development and responses to pathophysiologic stimuli. This is due the unique amenability unanesthetized surgical placement maintenance catheters electrodes, allowing repetitive blood sampling, substance injection, recording bioelectrical activity, application electric stimulation, in vivo organ imaging. Recently, there growing interest pleiotropic effects vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) on various systems such innate immunity inflammation, metabolism. There no approach study this utero corresponding physiological understanding scarce. Based our previous presentation stable model, here we describe instrumentation procedure successful implantation cervical uni- or bilateral VNS probe with without vagotomy. In cohort 68 animals, present changes gas, metabolic, inflammatory markers during postoperative period. We detail design which also allows from nerve. an example electroneurogram (VENG) recorded analytical data. method represents first implementation VENG/VNS large mammalian organism. describes new record manipulate activity animal pregnancy.