Electrical activity of the isolated nerve-urinary bladder strip preparation of the rabbit

¹ Department of Pharmacology, University of California Medical Center, Los Angeles, California

The electrical activity of single cells of the smooth muscle of the isolated pelvic nerve-bladder strip preparation of the rabbit has been recorded by means of KCl-filled glass capillary microelectrodes. It was found that increasing the tension on the muscle either by stretching or by the addition of carbachol (3 µg/ml) to the bathing fluid causes a concomitant depolarization of the cell membrane. Spontaneous electrical activity and that elicited by stimulation of the nerve were similar and consisted of slow waves of depolarization of a 3–5 sec duration and spikes superimposed upon the depolarization phase of the slow wave. The spikes varied from 5 to 35 mv with no overshoot. Excitability of cells varied from one in which no response to tetanic stimulation of the nerve was seen to one which exhibited a series of spikes to a single shock. It was shown that slow waves and spikes could occur out of phase with the dominant activity of the whole muscle. Latency to a single shock to the nerve was found to be quite consistent for the same cell. However, a marked variation in latency was found among different cells of the same preparation.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				N. G. McHale, M. A. Hollywood, G. P. Sergeant, M. Shafei, K. T. Thornbury, and S. M. Ward Organization and function of ICC in the urinary tract J. Physiol., November 1, 2006; 576(3): 689 - 694. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K.-E. Andersson and A. Arner Urinary Bladder Contraction and Relaxation: Physiology and Pathophysiology Physiol Rev, July 1, 2004; 84(3): 935 - 986. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]