Interoceptive feedback signals from the body are transmitted to hypothalamic neurons that
control pituitary hormone release. This review article describes the organization of central
neural pathways that convey ascending visceral sensory signals to endocrine neurons in the
paraventricular (PVN) and supraoptic nuclei (SON) of the hypothalamus in rats. A special
emphasis is placed on viscerosensory inputs to corticotropin releasing factor (CRF)-
containing PVN neurons that drive the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, and on inputs to …