Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 28, 2026

Isolation and Culture of Primary Neurons and Glia from Adult Rat Urinary Bladder
Published on: May 23, 2020
Pathophysiology of the lower urinary tract and CNS
1Consultant Urological Surgeon, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Urology, The Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK.
Abstract:
A number of aspects of neural control are potentially important in the control of bladder function, including both sensory and motor and peripheral and central pathways. It is likely that a combination of disorders of both central and peripheral neural mechanisms is important in the genesis of urgency and the other symptoms of the overactive bladder (OAB). Given the number of potential pathways involved, potential pharmacologic targets for OAB exist in the CNS (central nervous system; cerebral cortex, midbrain, spinal cord) and periphery (LUT; lower urinary tract). Antimuscarinics are still the mainstay of OAB treatment, but there are also a number of other potentially efficacious drugs that may also provide benefit against the neurologic components of OAB. This review discusses the impact of neurological abnormalities on lower urinary tract symptoms and the potential for treatments targeting these pathways to improve symptoms.
Related Concept Videos
Urinary Tract Infection II: Pathophysiology
Anatomy of the Genitourinary System II: Bladder and Urethra
Disorders of the Urinary System
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common urinary system disorders. They are caused by bacteria that enter the urethra and can spread to the bladder resulting in cystitis. Pyelonephritis is the result of a UTI that has ascended to the level of the...
Urinary Tract Infection I: Introduction
The Micturition Reflex
The process begins with bladder filling, where the bladder wall stretches as urine accumulates. This stretching activates the urine storage reflex, mediated by the sacral spinal segments and the pontine storage center. Efferent sympathetic impulses stimulate the detrusor muscle to relax and the internal urethral sphincter to contract, facilitating urine...
Microbiota of the Urogenital Tract
