Distributed brain-spinal cord dynamics during micturition revealed by functional ultrasound imaging

Functional ultrasound imaging in anesthetized rats reveals distinct, region-specific hemodynamic responses during micturition across multiple brain regions and dorsal/ventral spinal cord circuits.

• Why it matters: Coordinated brain–spinal activity during micturition is poorly mapped, and disruptions from spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and aging can cause neurogenic bladder dysfunction.
• What they did: Rats underwent controlled bladder filling and volitional voiding while power Doppler signals were recorded from either the brain or the lumbosacral spinal cord using fUSI with high spatiotemporal resolution and single-trial sensitivity.
• The result: Population-level activity in these regions enabled accurate decoding of bladder pressure dynamics, supporting fUSI as a platform for neural interfaces to restore bladder control.