Pontine control of the urinary bladder and external urethral sphincter in the rat

Neurons in the rostral pontine tegmentum are known to have an important role in controlling micturition. The present experiments used urethane anesthetized rats to examine the effects of electrical stimulation at various sites in the pons on bladder and external urethral sphincter activity and on the volume threshold for inducing micturition. Stimulation with short trains of pulses (50 Hz, 1-3 s trains, 1-15 V) in the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (LDT), the periaqueductal grey (PAG) or the lateral parabrachial nucleus (L-PBN) elicited contractions of a partially filled, quiescent bladder. However stimulation during a bladder contraction aborted the contraction indicating that these areas have inhibitory as well as excitatory effects. Continuous stimulation (50 Hz) in the PAG or L-PBN during a cystometrogram decreased bladder capacity (mean decrease 36%). Conversely, continuous stimulation in the pontine reticular formation (in or near the dorsal subcoeruleus nucleus and medial parabrachial nucleus) increased bladder capacity (mean increase 50%). Stimulation at pontine sites (LDT, PAG and L-PBN) which elicited bladder contractions also elicited an increase in external urethral sphincter activity. A similar increase in urethral sphincter activity occurred during reflex micturition induced by bladder distension. These data suggest that bladder capacity and the coordination of bladder and external urethral functions are controlled by various neuronal populations in the rostral pons of the rat.