Abstract
The function of the lower urinary tract is to store urine and periodically expel its contents through a reciprocal control of the contractile properties of the urinary bladder and its outflow tract. The decision to switch from storage to voiding modes depends upon integrating, in the central nervous system, sensory information from the bladder and controlling lower urinary tract function from the sacral spinal cord. Pathological or congenital alterations to any stage of this process can induce a combination of symptoms that include urgency and frequency, leakage of urine or pain. Animal models can be generated to characterise different stages of this complex control process to understand the particular biological defects that can lead to these pathologies. This chapter will address a number of lower urinary tract pathologies and how animal models can help in understanding them. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.