Compensatory increase of responses to nerve stimulation of the partially denervated rat urinary bladder

The rat urinary bladder was deprived of half of its innervation by removing the pelvic ganglion on one side. The motor response of such a partially denervated bladder to stimulation of the pelvic nerve on the other side were examined 1 week, 1 month and 2 months postoperatively. On all three occasions the increase in pressure of the operated bladder was larger than that of the control bladder; the enlargement was most marked 2 months after operation. The responses were further enlarged by eserine, and markedly reduced by atropine. The present results combined with those of previous investigations, showing a rapid recovery in the activity of the acetylcholine forming enzyme from a reduced level and a transient supersensitivity to chemical stimuli after unilateral removal of the pelvic ganglion, suggest that the enlarged responses to nerve stimulation 1 week postoperatively are mainly due to sensitization, while those observed at the later stages are due to collateral sprouting from the cholinergic nerve fibres of the intact pelvic nerve.