Fabrication and Implantation of Refined Silicone Strain Gauges for Long-Term Monitoring of Gastric Motility in Freely Moving Mice.

This protocol describes the fabrication and surgical implantation of flexible, biocompatible silicone strain gauges for long-term monitoring of gastric motility in freely moving C57BL/6J mice. Continuous assessment of gastric motor activity in conscious animals remains technically challenging because anesthesia and invasive procedures can alter normal gastrointestinal physiology. To address these challenges, this protocol combines refined silicone encapsulation of the strain gauge with secure head-mounted connector fixation to improve device stability during long-term recordings while protecting the electrical circuitry from mechanical damage associated with normal animal activity. The procedure enables reliable implantation and continuous recording of gastric contractile activity over a 15-day postoperative period. Representative recordings demonstrate distinct gastric motility patterns during anesthesia, awake baseline, postoperative recovery, and feeding-induced accommodation. Histological evaluation indicates only mild local tissue responses surrounding the implantation site, supporting the biocompatibility of the device under the conditions examined. This protocol provides a reproducible approach for obtaining stable long-term gastric motility recordings in conscious mice and may facilitate investigations of gastrointestinal physiology and disease, including studies using genetically modified mouse models.