Sensory inputs stimulated byZusanli (ST36) acupuncture in the abdomen are known to converge in the upper cervical cord. However, it is unclear whether these inputs are subsequently conveyed to the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus and what kind of afferent ifbers are involved. We focused on the upper cervical cord, where afferent inputs converge, and detected c-fos expression in oxytocinergic neurons. We found thatZusanli acupuncture therapy effectively elevated intragastric pressure, but inhibited expression of c-fos in oxytocinergic neurons of the paraventricular nucleus in upper cervical cord injured rats. TheseZusanli acupuncture effects remained even after complete dorsal cord transection. However, after complete transection of the spinal cord or dorsolateral funiculus, the effects were signiifcantly at-tenuated and even disappeared. These ifndings suggest that the paraventricular nucleus is responsible for pooling and integrating signals from theZusanli acupuncture and sensory information from the intragastric pressure variation, thereby contributing to the regulation of intragastric pressure. The upper cervical cord serves as the key link between ascending and descending pathways, which conveys afferent inputs to the paraventricular nucleus through the dorsolateral funiculus.