Examining mechanisms of brain control of bladder function with resting state functional connectivity MRI

Aims This aim of this study is to identify the brain mechanisms involved in bladder control. Methods We used fMRI to identify brain regions that are activated during bladder filling. We then used resting state connectivity fMRI (rs‐fcMRI) to assess functional connectivity of regions identified by fMRI with the rest of the brain as the bladder is filled to capacity. Results Female participants (n = 20) were between ages 40 and 64 with no significant history of symptomatic urinary incontinence. Main effect of time (MET) fMRI analysis resulted in 20 regions of interest (ROIs) that have significant change in BOLD signal (z = 3.25, P