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Dopamine D3 agonists: developing treatments for urogenital dysfunctions in chronic spinal cord injured male rats

Lique Coolen, PhD, Biological Sciences, Â鶹ÊÓƵ

Margot Damaser, PhD, Cleveland Clinic

Spinal cord injury (SCI) and resulting dysfunction is a major health concern and has immense impact on quality of life for the patients and their families. Urogenital dysfunction, including ejaculatory and bladder dysfunction, is extremely common among men with SCI. This dysfunction greatly hinders quality of life and emotional well-being and is thus of great concern to patients. Surveys of men with SCI have demonstrated that regaining sexual function and bladder control is an important goal, even surpassing that for recovery of walking among paraplegic men. Despite the identified need and desire to improve sexual function and bladder control among SCI men, we have a poor understanding of the mechanisms by which chronic injury so radically influences the spinal ejaculation generator and spinal control of bladder reflex function. Unfortunately, clinical or preclinical studies that simultaneously examine bladder and sexual dysfunction or treatment options following SCI are extremely rare. Drs. Coolen and Damaser aim to fill that gap and conduct preclinical studies to test the functional benefits of a novel treatment approach for both ejaculatory and bladder dysfunction following chronic SCI. Studies detailed in this proposal will form the foundation for these planned preclinical studies.