Jul 28 2008
Overactive Bladder Messes With the Mind
Who would have ever thought that the urge or need to pee too much would mess with the mind? But experiments with rats with overactive bladders shows just that - the need to urinate too frequently changes the brain’s activity. If researchers find that it is the same for humans as it is for rats, this change in brain activity could explain the disrupted sleep, concentration and confusion problems.
Rita Valentino, a neuroscientist at the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia, PA says:
“If you have an overactive bladder, you don’t just have a bladder problem. It has neurobehavioural consequences.”
It is believed that approximately 17% of the population have overactive bladder disorder. In people who have this disorder, they have the frequent need to urinate due to uncontrollable bladder contractions.
The study is the first to show that a bladder disorder can have a direct effect on brain function. “This helps complete the puzzle of why overactive bladder symptoms are so disruptive to quality of life,” says Craig Comiter, a urologist at Stanford University School of Medicine in California.
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