Use of viruses for interrogating viscera-specific projections in central nervous system

Each internal organ may perform many different functions under central regulation, yet how these processes are coordinated is poorly understood. The last three decades have witnessed a renaissance in tract tracing with genetically engineered strains of viruses that rapidly interrogate viscera-specific projections in the CNS. The application of novel methods to study cell type-specific projections through trans-synaptically transmitted virus 'label' highlights projections exclusively originating from neurons expressing a very specific molecular phenotype. This has opened the door to neuroanatomical studies interrogating organ-specific projections in the CNS at an unprecedented scale. In this contribution to the Special Issue we present an overview of the present state and of future opportunities in charting viscera-brain specific connectivity and in linking brain circuits to internal organ function.