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Conditioned responding of the neurogenic bladder.
Psychosomatic Medicine
|February 1, 1978
Summary
Classical conditioning successfully trained a spinal cord injury patient to void on command using electrical stimulation. However, the conditioned response extinguished with self-application, indicating challenges in maintaining bladder control.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Urology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Spinal cord injury (SCI) often leads to neurogenic bladder dysfunction, causing urinary incontinence.
- Classical conditioning offers a potential non-invasive method for bladder management in SCI patients.
Observation:
- A patient with cervical SCI and spastic neurogenic bladder was conditioned to void using electrical stimulation.
- A mild thigh stimulus (CS) paired with abdominal stimulation (UCS) reliably elicited voiding (CR).
Findings:
- The conditioned stimulus (CS) initially achieved effective bladder emptying with minimal residual urine.
- Self-application of the CS led to response extinction within days.
- Re-conditioning sessions showed limited success in restoring the conditioned response.
Implications:
- Demonstrates the potential, yet limited, feasibility of classical conditioning for neurogenic bladder management in SCI.
- Highlights the challenges of maintaining conditioned responses outside of a controlled laboratory setting.
- Suggests further research into sustained conditioning protocols for SCI bladder dysfunction is warranted.