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DARPA has announced a research program to explore whether an "ingestible form factor" device can stimulate gut neurons to modulate stress responses, potentially improving decision-making and reducing the risk of PTSD.
The CoasterChase program, run by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's biological technologies office (BTO), is seeking to learn whether modulating neurons in the enteric nervous system (ENS - e.g., the nerves in the intestinal tract that control digestion and related functions) could modulate levels of stress-related hormones and neurotransmitters.
If that's the case, the BTO said in a special notice [PDF] published ahead of a planned Proposers Day on July 7, the brains of soldiers could be tricked into better handling stress, "improving training recall and decision-making in the moment and mitigating post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD] in the long term."
Best not to think about the fact soldiers will have to ingest some electronics, according to BTO director Michael Koeris, to get the benefits. While it's possible the platform will come in pill form, CoasterChase program manager Dr. Pedro Irazoqui told us that the research proposal is "open ended," and that the team isn't seeking a particular form factor besides ingestability. The agency told us it hopes the platform will be able to remain in the digestive system for up to five days.
The scientific concept behind CoasterChase is neuromodulation, a practice that uses direct stimulation of the nervous system to change the way signals are transmitted to the brain. Electrical currents and drugs are both used in neuromodulation practices, but based on DARPA's notice, it appears they're going more with the former: The agency is seeking teams with expertise including "cellular response to electrical, thermal and/or mechanical stimulation."
As for the precise methodology, the stated goal is to develop "a sensing and stimulation platform in an ingestible form factor" to explore how different types of stimuli affect neuropeptide Y-producing neurons in the small intestine, and whether such stimulation can evoke measurable changes in the concentrations of cortisol and neuropeptide Y, two key biomarkers associated with stress response and resilience.
Neuropeptide Y has previously been studied for its relationship to PTSD, with results suggesting that those with higher levels not only are more resilient against developing PTSD, but also handle stress better in general. As for cortisol, DARPA hopes CoasterChase will help it determine if there's an ideal amount "to induce good decision-making and proper response time."
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The human gut is a natural target for such therapeutic research. Scientists have begun seeing the ENS, known colloquially as "the second brain" due to its complexity and ability to function autonomously, as a target for various types of therapies. While most target gastrointestinal disorders, DARPA is positing that stimulation of those cells could nonetheless affect the chemistry of the primary brain as well.
"Through sensing biomarkers that arise as a function of different stimulation paradigms, CoasterChase will explore the dynamics of stress response activation," the notice said. The "ingestible sensing/stimulating platform," meanwhile, will serve as a testbed to investigate whether stimulating gut neurons can modulate the body's stress pathways.
The CoasterChase team hopes the research could lead to preventative and therapeutic treatments for PTSD, Irazoqui told us.
Given this is an early-stage DARPA research program, technology developed via CoasterChase may never end up in the field, even if it is successful. Edible biotech is a complicated field of research fraught with ethical, legal, and societal implications - all of which will be accounted for in the program, the BTO team noted in its program summary.
Don't expect stress-immune super soldiers to show up on the battlefield anytime soon. In other words, Irazoqui told us that human subjects won't even be involved in the CoasterChase research program. The CoasterChase program will run for two years, after which point the team hopes the tech developed during the program will be used "as a future tool for exploring the body's response to stress under various situations." ®
