Experiments were done in the anesthetized rat to identify the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and the spinal cord segments that contain neurons activated by either renal venous occlusion (RVO) or by renal arterial occlusion (RAO). Fos induction, detected immunohistochemically in DRG and the spinal cord neurons, was used as a marker for neuronal activation. RVO induced Fos immunoreactivity in neurons in the DRG of spinal segments T₈-L₂ on the side ipsilateral to that of occlusion. The largest number of Fos-labeled neurons was found in the T₁₁ DRG. In the spinal cord the largest number of Fos-labeled neurons was found in the ipsilateral dorsal horn of spinal segments T₁₁-T₁₂, predominantly in a cluster near the dorsomedial edge of laminae I-II. A few additional Fos-labeled neurons were observed in laminae IV and V. After RAO Fos-labeled neurons were found in the ipsilateral DRG of spinal segments similar to those observed to contain neurons after RVO. However, most of the Fos-labeled neurons were observed within the T₁₂-L₁ DRG. In the spinal cord Fos-labeled neurons were scattered throughout lamina I-II of the ipsilateral dorsal horn of spinal segments T₈-L₂, although the largest number was observed at the T₁₃ level. Additionally, a distinct cluster of Fos-labeled neurons was observed predominantly in the region of the ipsilateral intermediolateral cell column, although a few neurons were found scattered throughout the nucleus intercalatus, central autonomic areas, and laminae IV and V of the cord bilaterally. No Fos labeling was observed in the complementary contralateral DRG or dorsal horns after either RVO or RAO. In addition, renal nerve transection prevented Fos labeling in the ipsilateral DRG and dorsal horns after RVO or RAO. Taken together, these data suggest that functionally different renal afferent fibers activate DRG neurons that may have distinct projections in the spinal cord.