Odor-specific olfactory stimulation is associated with selective transcriptional changes and partial improvement of stress-evoked bladder overactivity in mice

(Shikuwasa). Bladder function was assessed by continuous cystometry, spontaneous locomotor activity was evaluated during the dark phase, and whole-brain transcriptional responses were analyzed using exploratory RNA sequencing to characterize stress-associated transcriptional patterns. WAS was associated with bladder overactivity characterized by shortened contraction intervals, together with a tendency toward increased bladder weight and reduced locomotor activity. Transcriptomic analysis identified stress-associated upregulation of immediate-early genes and suppression of synapse-related gene categories. Gettou inhalation was associated with attenuation of stress-related immediate-early gene expression and partial normalization of bladder contraction dynamics, whereas Shikuwasa inhalation induced broad transcriptional changes without measurable improvement in bladder function. These findings suggest that odor-specific transcriptional modulation may be associated with partial functional improvement of stress-evoked bladder overactivity.