Zhenxiang Zhu1,2,3,4 · Zhuang Liu6  · Zan Wang1,4 · Guangfu Cui2,3 · Mei‑Yu Shi7,8 · Kunzhang Lin2,3 · Yuxiang Qiu9  · Tengxiao Si1,4 · Peng Chen2,3 · Qing Liu2,3 · Guo‑Qiang Bi2,3,7,8 · Jie Wang6  · Pengjie Wen2,3 · Fuqiang Xu1,2,3,4,5

1 State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, Wuhan Center for Magnetic Resonance, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Wuhan 430071, China 

2 Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Viral Vectors for Biomedicine, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Drug Addiction, Shenzhen‑Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China 

3 Key Laboratory of Quality Control Technology for Virus‑Based Therapeutics, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China 

4 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China 

5 Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen 518107, China 

6 Department of Radiology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Emotions and Affective Disorders, Songjiang Research Institute, Songjiang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China 

7 Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China 

8 Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Intelligent Processing, Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei 230088, Anhui, China 

9 Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART), Shenzhen 518107, China

Abstract

The bladder is essential for the body’s fluid balance to ensure normal physiological conditions; thus, a non-pathological bladder—that is, one sustaining internal homeostasis—is critical for this function. However, the neuro-network maintaining the bladder’s intrinsic homeostasis is much less well-known compared with that for urination. Here, we identified that vagal nodose ganglion-pseudounipolar neurons project down to the bladder, up to the nucleus of the solitary tract, and further to multiple brain regions. The components of this network and those revealed by direct tracing from the bladder with herpes simplex virus (HSV) have significant overlaps and differences. Chemogenetic activation coupled with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and c-Fos staining verified that the components in the vagal network were functionally connected. Strikingly, this vagal network did not include the primary motor cortex (M1), suggesting a role distinct from conscious urination control, and a cystitis model therefore revealed its potential role in transmitting bladder inflammation. Taken together, we have identified a non-spinal bladder-brain network not for urination but potentially for homeostasis of the bladder itself.

Keywords

Bladder; Nodose ganglion; Vagal sensory neuron;· NTS; Cystitis

[SpringerLink]