Urethral pudendal afferent-evoked bladder and sphincter reflexes in decerebrate and acute spinal cats

Abstract

Electrical stimulation of the urethral sensory pudendal nerve in decerebrate or acute spinal cats was used to evoke micturition reflexes in animals that failed to respond to bladder distension. In the decerebrate animals, stimulation of urethral afferents evoked voiding characterized by a large bladder pressure increase coordinated with a simultaneous decrease in external urethral sphincter activity. In animals in which the spinal cord was transected between T10 and L6, electrical stimulation of the urethral afferents evoked small increases in bladder pressure that were insufficient to expel fluid but the contractions were coordinated with a decrease in external urethral sphincter activity. It was concluded that in addition to interacting with spinobulbospinal micturition pathways, urethral pudendal afferents may have direct access to a spinal circuitry that can coordinate bladder and sphincter activity.