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Review
. 2021 Dec 20:2:791833.
doi: 10.3389/fragi.2021.791833. eCollection 2021.

The Aged Lower Urinary Tract: Deficits in Neural Control Mechanisms

Cara C Hardy  1   2   3
Affiliations
Review

The Aged Lower Urinary Tract: Deficits in Neural Control Mechanisms

Cara C Hardy. Front Aging. .

Abstract

Bothersome urinary symptoms plague many older adults and disproportionally affect women. Underreporting of symptoms and general stigma/embarrassment associated with incontinence has negatively impacted the availability of treatments, as research cannot be championed if the severity of the problem is not apparent. Available therapeutics have limited efficacy and are often not recommended in aged patients. Lower urinary tract function has a long and rich history in animal studies; while much of the underlying anatomy has been described, including neural control mechanisms, the impact of aging has only just begun to be addressed. Recent work has provided strong evidence that neural control over micturition is significantly impacted by aging processes. This mini review discusses recent findings regarding how aging impacts the neural control mechanisms of micturition.

Keywords: aging; bladder; cystometry; micturition; neural control.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
The aging brain–bladder axis of the mouse at a glance. The brain–bladder axis consists of the CNS (1), the PNS (2), and the LUT (3). The alterations described in the call-out boxes summarize gross changes in each region that have been associated with aging. Question marks denote gaps in the field. Created with BioRender. CNS, central nervous system; PNS, peripheral nervous system; LUT, lower urinary tract.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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