{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"institution":[{"name":"bioRxiv"}],"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T02:58:44Z","timestamp":1785380324506,"version":"3.55.0"},"posted":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]]},"group-title":"Physiology","reference-count":61,"publisher":"openRxiv","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]],"date-time":"2026-07-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785110400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>\n                  Mate-seeking during peak sexual receptivity is tightly coupled with exploratory movement, a process made more efficient by transient suppression of excretion. Here, we define a functional hypothalamic-hindbrain circuit in mice that promotes locomotion while eliminating urination and defecation for hours. Chemogenetic stimulation of excitatory estrogen-melanocortin-responsive MC4R\n                  <jats:sup>+<\/jats:sup>\n                  neurons in the ventrolateral ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHvl) effectively silences bladder and colonic visceral reflexes, even at noxious distension pressures, underscoring the potency of this anti-excretion circuit. Pelvic sensations and excretion are restored only after ablating inhibitory GABAergic neurons in the Barrington\u2019s nucleus\/locus coeruleus (BAR\/LC) hindbrain region or after antagonizing endogenous endorphin signaling. Our study illustrates how a hormone-responsive brain node prioritizes movement over excretion and blunts pelvic discomfort, thereby optimizing an essential voluntary behavior for evolutionary fitness.\n                <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.64898\/2026.07.23.736864","type":"posted-content","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,28]],"date-time":"2026-07-28T00:25:28Z","timestamp":1785198328000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["A Neuroendocrine Circuit That Suppresses Excretion and Pelvic Pain During Activity"],"prefix":"10.64898","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3999-9985","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lucas E.","family":"Cabrera-Zapata","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 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