Austin, TX, June 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Vibrant Gastro™ today announced that its ingestible vibrating capsule technology was utilized in a newly published study in JAMA Psychiatry examining gastrointestinal interoception (the ability to sense and interpret signals originating from the gut) in females recovering from anorexia nervosa.
The study, led by researchers from UCLA and the Laureate Institute for Brain Research, evaluated whether subtle differences in gut-brain communication could help identify individuals at greater risk of relapse following weight restoration. Researchers used a swallowable vibrating capsule to deliver controlled, non-invasive mechanosensory stimulation within the gastrointestinal tract and measured participants’ ability to detect those signals.
Researchers found that participants recovering from anorexia nervosa demonstrated measurable differences in how they perceived gastrointestinal sensations compared with healthy controls. Several of those measures were associated with relapse risk and symptom severity six months later, supporting the growing scientific interest in objective assessments of gut-brain communication. Full study findings are available in JAMA Psychiatry (“Gastrointestinal Interoception and Relapse in Anorexia Nervosa,” published June 17, 2026).
“This study demonstrates that Vibrant’s technology has the potential to extend well beyond therapeutic applications,” said Asaf Bar, CEO of Vibrant Gastro. “Our vibrating capsule provides researchers with a unique, non-invasive way to study communication along the gut-brain axis, which is one of the most exciting frontiers in medicine today. We believe this technology platform may help accelerate scientific discovery across a broad range of gastrointestinal, neurological and psychiatric conditions where gut-brain signaling plays an important role.”
Anorexia nervosa has one of the highest mortality rates among psychiatric illnesses, and relapse rates can approach 50% within one year after weight restoration. While restoring body weight remains a critical treatment goal, research suggests that disruptions in communication between the gastrointestinal system and the brain may persist long after physical recovery and contribute to ongoing symptoms and relapse vulnerability.
Importantly, the vibrating capsule used in the research was employed solely as a mechanosensory probe to elicit and measure gastrointestinal sensations. The study did not evaluate the capsule as a treatment for anorexia nervosa, nor did it assess whether the technology could diagnose, predict, prevent, or reduce relapse.
The publication also underscores growing scientific recognition of the gut-brain axis as a critical regulator of human health. Researchers increasingly believe communication between the gastrointestinal tract and the nervous system influences not only digestive disorders, but also metabolic, neurological and psychiatric diseases. As interest in this emerging field continues to expand, Vibrant Gastro™ is helping pioneer new approaches to objectively measure gut-brain signaling through non-invasive, ingestible technology.
About Vibrant Gastro
Vibrant Gastro is a health technology company pioneering both drug-free therapeutics and novel bioelectronic technologies that leverage the gut-brain axis. Its flagship innovation, the Vibrant System®, is an FDA-cleared prescription therapy that uses a swallowable vibrating capsule to provide a non-pharmacologic treatment option for adults with chronic idiopathic constipation who have not responded adequately to standard laxatives. The company is committed to expanding access to innovative therapies while improving the patient and provider experience through evidence-based care and ongoing support.
For more information, please visit www.vibrantgastro.com.
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- The Gut-Brain Axis
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