Rats were placed in a stereotaxic frame (David Kopf Instruments, Tujunga, CA) under ketamine/xylazine anesthesia. The ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) was targeted bilaterally using a 25-gauge needle (Hamilton, Reno, NV) connected to a 1-μL syringe. The injection was directed to stereotaxic coordinates 2.3/3.3 mm posterior to the bregma (two injections were performed in each VMH), ±0.6 mm lateral to midline and 10.2 mm below the surface of the skull (8,18). Adenoviral vectors (green fluorescent protein [GFP] or AMPKα-CA; Viraquest, North Liberty, IA) were delivered at a rate of 200 nL/min for 5 min (1 μL/injection site) (8,18).
