MALE UROGENITAL FUNCTION AND CHRONIC SPINAL CORD INJURY

男性泌尿生殖功能和慢性脊髓损伤

• 批准号: 6545542
• 负责人: CHARLES H. HUBSCHER
• 金额: $ 18.06万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2000
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2000-09-28 至 2003-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6545542
• 关键词: impotence; laboratory rat; male; male reproductive system disorder; neuroregulation; spinal cord injury; spinal cord mapping; urinary tract disorder; urination

The neural mechanisms involved in the control/coordination of urogenital functions is poorly understood, making restoration of function following traumatic spinal cord injury a difficult task. In humans, spinal cord injury occurs predominantly in young males, compromises sexual function, and leaves most patients infertile because of an inability to ejaculate. Moreover, bladder voiding dysfunction is common due to bladder-sphincter dyssynergia. Incoordination of perineal motoneuron circuits, resulting from spinal cord injury-induced changes in non-locomotor segmental reflex circuits involved in male reproductive function and micturition, likely contributes to these complications. Since normal ejaculation and micturition require both an intact segmental reflex arc and brainstem integration, we have, in recent years, developed and characterized an in vivo brainstem-spinal cord electrophysiological animal model to study the neurological causes of sexual dysfunction following severe midthoracic spinal cord injury. Our previous studies with this model have shown that chronic bilateral lesions of the dorsal 3/5 of T8 spinal cord is correlated with (i) impaired bladder/sexual reflexes, (ii) changes in lumbosacral neural circuits mediating perineal muscle function and (iii) loss of ascending and descending connections between the distal urogenital tract and the medullary reticular formation (ii/iii - as determined in terminal electrophysiological experiments). The overall aim of the proposed research is to use this spino-bulbo-spinal model to address important questions regarding the neural control/coordination of smooth and striated muscles subserving sexual and bladder functions in male rats following chronic spinal cord injury. A unique benefit of our model lies in our ability to focus on the integration of information from multiple pelvic viscera. The knowledge gained from these basic scientific experiments will more specifically ascertain the spinal cord regions and the specific neural circuitry which should be targeted for therapeutic interventions designed to improve the control/coordination of sexual, bladder and bowel functions following chronic spinal cord injury. Parallel electrophysiological, behavioral and neuroanatomical studies are proposed.

参与控制/协调的神经机制 对泌尿生殖功能知之甚少，使得功能恢复 外伤性脊髓损伤后，这是一项艰巨的任务。在人类中，脊髓 损伤主要发生在年轻男性，损害性功能，并且 导致大多数患者因无法射精而无法生育。而且， 由于膀胱括约肌协同失调，膀胱排尿功能障碍很常见。 由脊髓引起的会阴运动神经元回路的不协调 损伤引起的非运动节段反射回路的变化涉及 男性生殖功能和排尿，可能有助于这些 并发症。由于正常的射精和排尿都需要完整的 节段反射弧和脑干整合，近年来，我们 开发并表征了体内脑干脊髓 电生理动物模型研究性行为的神经原因 严重中胸脊髓损伤后功能障碍。我们之前的 使用该模型的研究表明，背侧的慢性双侧病变 T8 脊髓的 3/5 与 (i) 膀胱/性反射受损相关， (ii) 介导会阴肌肉功能的腰骶神经回路的变化 (iii) 远端之间的上升和下降连接丢失 泌尿生殖道和髓质网状结构（ii/iii - 已确定 在终端电生理实验中）。拟议的总体目标 研究目的是使用这种脊柱-球-脊髓模型来解决重要问题 关于平滑肌和横纹肌的神经控制/协调 促进慢性脊髓损伤后雄性大鼠的性功能和膀胱功能 脊髓损伤。我们模型的独特优势在于我们能够专注于 来自多个盆腔内脏的信息整合。获得的知识 从这些基本的科学实验中将更具体地确定 应针对的脊髓区域和特定神经回路 用于旨在改善控制/协调的治疗干预 慢性脊髓损伤后的性、膀胱和肠道功能。 并行的电生理学、行为学和神经解剖学研究是 建议的。