Spatial Transcriptomic Activity Atlas of Spinal Sympathetic Neurons Delineates Neural Control of Lipolysis

The sympathetic nervous system coordinates the functions of diverse organs to maintain homeostasis and mounts adaptive responses to stressors. Although recent molecular and genetic studies have advanced our understanding of peripheral sympathetic neurons, the spatial and functional organization of spinal sympathetic preganglionic neurons (SPNs) during stress responses remains poorly understood. Here we establish a spatial transcriptomics (STx)-based activity atlas of mouse SPNs under distinct stress conditions. This atlas reveals the spinal segment- and sex-biased organization of SPN transcriptomic subtypes. Using immediate early gene (IEG) induction as a readout of neuronal activation, we found that different stressors, such as cold exposure and glucose deprivation, recruit different SPN transcriptomic subtypes.