Choline Acetyltransferase Activity in the Denervated Urinary Bladder of the Rat

After extirpation of the pelvic ganglia the choline acetyltransferase activity decreased markedly indicating that most of the postganglionic cholinergic neurones of the bladder take this route. A small decrease in the activity of this enzyme was found after section of the hypogastric nerves, showing that these nerves contribute to some extent to the cholinergic innervation. The residual enzyme activity found after a combination of the two surgical procedures suggests that neurones relay distal to the level of the section of the hypogastric nerves and pass outside the pelvic ganglia and (or) that neurones pass the pelvic ganglia and relay distal to them. Electrical stimulation of the hypogastric nerves after extirpation of the pelvic ganglia and the use of blocking drugs showed on the existence of cholinergic neurones passing outside the pelvic ganglia, some of them relaying distal to the point of stimulation.