Exogenous overexpression of nerve growth factor in the urinary bladder produces bladder overactivity and altered micturition circuitry in the lumbosacral spinal cord

摘要

BackgroundExogenous NGF or saline was delivered to the detrusor smooth muscle of female rats for a two-week period using osmotic mini-pumps. We then determined: (1) bladder function using conscious cystometry; (2) organization of micturition reflexes using Fos protein expression in lumbosacral (L5-S1) spinal cord neurons; (3) calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-immunoreactivity (IR) in lumbosacral spinal cord segments.