Multi-methodological approaches to investigate lower urinary tract function in health and disease

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is a control system that acts largely unconsciously and regulates bodily functions such as the heart rate, blood pressure and bladder. For individuals with a neurologic disorder, disturbances of the ANS function significantly reduce the quality of life, particularly when the bladder function is affected. The research conducted in this dissertation focused on the evaluation of diagnostic assessments, commonly used in daily clinical practice, to investigate the long-term outcome in affected individuals as well as the improvement of the design and methodology of studies aiming to investigate brain networks, which are responsible for bladder control.