Gut-innervating DRG sensory neurons in interoception and nociception

Visceral innervating sensory neurons respond to diverse stimuli under physiologic and pathologic conditions, including distension, inflammation, and infections, though the mechanisms through which these stimuli are sensed and mediate interoception remain poorly understood. Sensory neurons extrinsic to the viscera that mediate these responses are those with cell bodies within the dorsal root ganglia (DRG), the DRG sensory neurons, which, when activated, lead to abdominal pain. Here, I will discuss recent advances in our understanding of the heterogeneity of gut-innervating DRG sensory neurons and highlight their importance in different physiologic and pathologic processes in the gut, including in mediating visceral nociception. This abstract was presented at the American Physiology Summit 2026 and is only available in HTML format. There is no downloadable file or PDF version. The Physiology editorial board was not involved in the peer review process.