EFFECTS OF TRANSECTION OF THE SPINAL-CORD IN THE RAT - CYSTOMETRIC AND AUTORADIOGRAPHIC STUDIES

Cystometric studies and autoradiographic experiments were performed in the rat to determine the urodynamic parameters and the cholinergic mu scarinic binding properties of detrusor in control animals and those w ith complete spinal cord transection. After an unexplored spinal shock phase, the reactivity of the bladder was studied at 2, 5 and 9 weeks following transection. The chief modifications caused by spinal cord i njury on the cystomanometric parameters were an increase of the maxima l amplitude of contraction and a decrease of the pressure threshold. T his correlated well with the results obtained in the autoradiographic studies, in which the density of muscarinic receptors in transected ra ts increased by 80% and 60% in the vesical sections after 2 and 5 week s. The density of these muscarinic receptors sites returned to control levels 9 weeks after section.