Bedwetting at night: why aren't we all equal?

A team of Japanese researchers has highlighted the role of a protein in the urge to urinate during sleep, which varies from one individual to another. It's just another small injustice of nature. Some of us are able to sleep for more than eight hours straight without feeling the need to empty our bladders, while others wake up spontaneously in the middle of the night with an urgent need, or even a wet bed. This phenomenon, called nocturnal enuresis, particularly affects children and the elderly. However, Japanese scientists from Kyoto University have just highlighted the role of a protein, connexin43 , in this lack of adaptability of the urinary system to the night. In a healthy individual, the body functions differently during the day and night, thanks to its internal clock, known as the circadian rhythm. During sleep, the kidneys produce less urine, while the bladder expands to increase its storage capacity. A more sensitive bladder Connexin43 is one of many proteins involved in circadian rhythms. It also determines how much fluid the bladder can hold. By studying mice genetically engineered to not produce Connexin43, researchers found that their bladder muscles remained highly sensitive, both day and night, to nerve signals that indicate their bladders were full. Conversely, the bladders of "normal" mice tolerated a larger capacity at night without feeling the need to urinate. For the researchers, who published the results of their work in the journal Nature Communications , bedwetting could therefore be linked to circadian clock disorders. The authors of the study do not specify the cause of these disorders, but previous work has shown in some cases a genetic dimension of circadian cycle disorders, as well as the impact of external factors such as changes in schedules or mood disorders. Osamu Ogawa's team, however, points out that other avenues should also be explored, such as the production of urine by the kidneys or a dysfunction of the cortex, the part of the brain connected to the bladder.