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Emptying the bladder is also called micturition. Micturition is controlled by the central nervous system in the brain and spinal cord.
Complex Interaction
There is a complex interaction between will-powered (somatic) and non will-powered (autonomic) nervous systems.
In the will-powered nervous system, we differentiate between the parasympathetic and the sympathetic systems. During the bladder filling phase, the sympathetic nervous system dominates, while your parasympathetic system dominates during the emptying phase.
Urine Urging
When there is an urge to urinate, nerve impulses travel from the receptors in the bladder walls to the primary micturition centre in the pons, which is located in the midbrain, and on to the cerebral cortex.
From here, you can activate or pause the emptying of the bladder by willpower. When a decision is made to empty the bladder, the pressure in the urethra lowers, the urethra opens up and your bladder contracts until it is completely empty. Afterwards, the bladder returns to the filling phase and the pressure in the urethra returns to being higher than the pressure in the bladder.
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