This simulation demonstrates the complete micturition reflex circuit, showing how stretch receptor signals travel via pelvic nerve afferents to the spinal cord and pontine micturition center, how storage-phase sympathetic and pudendal activity keep the bladder closed, and how voluntary disinhibition triggers the coordinated spinobulbospinal reflex that contracts the detrusor while relaxing both sphincters.
Adjust bladder fill volume to see stretch receptor firing rate rise along the pelvic nerve pathway, then toggle cortical inhibition on and off to see how the pontine micturition center responds. Switch between storage and voiding phase views to compare sympathetic versus parasympathetic dominance and sphincter states, and enable the spinal cord injury mode to see how the circuit breaks down and produces detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia.
Sliders for bladder fill volume and cortical inhibition level, phase toggle (storage versus voiding), spinal cord injury toggle with adjustable injury level (suprasacral versus sacral), and real-time indicators for pelvic nerve afferent firing, sympathetic and parasympathetic outflow, and internal and external sphincter states.
The pontine micturition center's coordinating signal typically completes the full storage-to-voiding transition, from disinhibition through detrusor contraction and sphincter relaxation, in well under a minute, and positive feedback from urethral flow receptors helps sustain the contraction until the bladder is fully empty.
This simulation demonstrates the complete micturition reflex circuit, showing how stretch receptor signals travel via pelvic nerve afferents to the spinal cord and pontine micturition center, how storage-phase sympathetic and pudendal activity keep the bladder closed, and how voluntary disinhibition triggers the coordinated spinobulbospinal reflex that contracts the detrusor while relaxing both sphincters.
This simulation demonstrates the complete micturition reflex circuit, showing how stretch receptor signals travel via pelvic nerve afferents to the spinal cord and pontine micturition center, how storage-phase sympathetic and pudendal activity keep the bladder closed, and how voluntary disinhibition triggers the coordinated spinobulbospinal reflex that contracts the detrusor while relaxing both sphincters.
Adjust bladder fill volume to see stretch receptor firing rate rise along the pelvic nerve pathway, then toggle cortical inhibition on and off to see how the pontine micturition center responds. Switch between storage and voiding phase views to compare sympathetic versus parasympathetic dominance and sphincter states, and enable the spinal cord injury mode to see how the circuit breaks down and produces detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia.
The pontine micturition center's coordinating signal typically completes the full storage-to-voiding transition, from disinhibition through detrusor contraction and sphincter relaxation, in well under a minute, and positive feedback from urethral flow receptors helps sustain the contraction until the bladder is fully empty.