Sensory feedback from the urethra evokes state‐dependent lower urinary tract reflexes in rat

摘要

Key points class="unordered" style="list-style-type:disc" id="tjp12469-list-0001">The lower urinary tract is regulated by reflexes responsible for maintaining continence and producing efficient voiding.It is unclear how sensory information from the bladder and urethra engages differential, state‐dependent reflexes to either maintain continence or promote voiding.Using a new in vivo experimental approach, we quantified how sensory information from the bladder and urethra are integrated to switch reflex responses to urethral sensory feedback from maintaining continence to producing voiding.The results demonstrate how sensory information regulates state‐dependent reflexes in the lower urinary tract and contribute to our understanding of the pathophysiology of urinary retention and incontinence where sensory feedback may engage these reflexes inappropriately.