Subfornical organ efferents to neural systems for control of body water.

The subfornical organ, a circumventricular structure of the central nervous system, has efferent neural projections to sites within the brain known to be involved in drinking behavior and secretion of antidiuretic hormone. By using anterograde tracing techniques, it is shown that the subfornical organ projects to the nucleus medians of the medial preoptic area, to the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis, and to the supraoptic nuclei bilaterally. Its efferent connectivity is confirmed by retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase. The organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis, another circumventricular organ and a suspected receptor site for angiotensin II, is involved in the circuitry of the subfornical organ and also has an efferent projection to the supraoptic nuclei.