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Related Experiment Videos

Maternal separation uncouples reflex from spontaneous voiding in rat pups.

Hsi-Yang Wu1, William C de Groat

  • 1Department of Pediatric Urology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA. wuhy@chp.edu

The Journal of Urology
|February 14, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Maternal separation in rat pups delays the spinal voiding reflex maturation but does not impact the development of spontaneous voiding. This suggests bladder distention selectively affects spinal reflex pathways.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Urology

Background:

  • Neonatal rat pups rely on maternal stimulation for voiding via the perigenital-bladder reflex.
  • Maternal separation (MS) in rats induces stress and anxiety, impacting bladder function in adults.
  • The maturation of voiding reflexes in neonatal rats under MS conditions is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of maternal separation (MS) on the maturation of the voiding reflex in neonatal rats.
  • To determine if MS affects the development of spontaneous voiding and the perigenital-bladder reflex.

Main Methods:

  • Rat pups underwent daily 6-hour maternal separation (MS) from postnatal days 2-14.
  • A subset of MS pups received perigenital stimulation for bladder emptying (MSPG).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Voiding patterns, perigenital-bladder reflex latency, and cystometry were assessed.

    • Main Results:

    • Spontaneous voiding initiated at 3 weeks in all groups.
    • MS exposure significantly prolonged the perigenital-bladder reflex latency in young rats.
    • MS animals retained the perigenital-bladder reflex longer than controls, while MSPG voiding resembled controls.

    Conclusions:

    • Intermittent bladder distention due to MS delays the withdrawal of the spinal perigenital-bladder reflex.
    • Maturation of the supraspinal bladder reflex controlling spontaneous voiding is unaffected by MS.
    • Bladder afferent activity selectively modulates spinal, not supraspinal, voiding control mechanisms during development.