Characterization of a spinal, urine storage reflex, inhibitory center and its regulation by 5-HT1A receptors in female cats

Abstract

Urine storage is facilitated by somatic (pudendal nerve) and sympathetic [hypogastric nerve (HgN)] reflexes to the urethral rhabdosphincter (URS) and urethral smooth muscle, respectively, initiated by primary afferent fibers in the pelvic nerve (PelN). Inhibition of storage reflexes is required for normal voiding. This study characterizes a urine storage reflex inhibitory network that can be activated by PelN afferent fibers concurrently with the reflexes themselves. Electrical stimulation of PelN produced evoked potentials recorded by URS EMG electrodes (10-ms latency) or HgN electrodes (60-ms latency) in chloralose-anesthetized cats. When a second (i.e., paired) pulse of the same stimulus intensity was applied to the PelN 50–500 ms after the first, the reflexes evoked by the second stimulus were inhibited. The inhibition was maximal at paired-pulse intervals of 50–100 ms and remained after acute spinal transection at T10, confirming that the inhibitory center is located in the spinal cord. The 5-HT1A receptor agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tertralin (8-OH-DPAT; 3–300 μg/kg iv) consistently reduced the paired-pulse inhibition from 20% to 60% of control in spinal-intact animals but had no effect in acute spinal animals (i.e., supraspinal site of action). N-{2-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl]ethyl}- N-2-pyridinylcyclohexanecarboxamide maleate (300 μg/kg iv) completely reversed 8-OH-DPAT's effects. The PelN-HgN reflex paired-pulse inhibition was not affected by 8-OH-DPAT. These results indicate the presence of a spinal, urine storage reflex, inhibitory center (SUSRIC) that is activated within 50 ms after activation of the reflexes themselves. SUSRIC is inhibited (disfacilitated) by supraspinal 5-HT1A receptors.