Functionally, however, the SFO may be viewed in two portions, the dorsolateral peripheral division, and the ventromedial core segment.

[10] The subfornical organ is active in many bodily processes,[1][5] including osmoregulation,[9] cardiovascular regulation,[9] and energy homeostasis.

Additional research has demonstrated that the subfornical organ may be an important intermediary through which leptin acts to maintain blood pressure within normal physiological limits via descending autonomic pathways associated with cardiovascular control.

[1] SFO neurons have also been experimentally shown to send efferent projections to regions involved in cardiovascular regulation including the lateral hypothalamus, with fibers terminating in the supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular (PVN) nuclei, and the anteroventral 3rd ventricle (AV3V) with fibers terminating in the OVLT and the median preoptic area.

[1][5] The SFO, area postrema, and OVLT have capillaries permeable to circulating hormonal signals, enabling these three circumventricular organs to have integrative roles in cardiovascular, electrolyte, and fluid regulation.

[1][5][8] Neurons in the subfornical organ have receptors for many hormones that circulate in the blood but which do not cross the blood–brain barrier,[1] including angiotensin, atrial natriuretic peptide, endothelin and relaxin.

[citation needed] Other important hormones have been shown to excite the SFO, specifically serotonin, carbamylcholine (carbachol), and atropine.

Injection of angiontensin has actually been long used to induce hypertension in animal test models to study the effects of various therapies and medications.

[13] Although generally viewed primarily as having roles in homeostasis and cardiovascular regulation, the subfornical organ has been thought to control feeding patterns through taking inputs from the blood (various peptides indicating satiety) and then stimulating hunger.