Rate of bladder distension and hypogastric nerve activity in the cat

The effect of two rates of bladder filling on hypogastric efferent nerve activity was examined in cats anaesthetised with a continuous pentobarbitone infusion. At each level of bladder pressure the amount of hypogastric efferent nerve activity was less at the higher filling rate. This result may reflect a volume effect absent in pressure-nerve activity relationships. When volume effects were allowed for, variation in filling rate appeared to have little influence on hypogastric nerve activity.