Immediately after sacrifice, the brains examined using real-time quantitative PCR were placed in a matrix with the ventral surface facing up, and three 1.0 mm coronal sections were made, with the middle optic chiasm as the anterior boundary. As previously described (Chang et al., 2004), the sections were placed on a glass slide, and the PFLH (Bregma -2.8 to -3.6 mm) was rapidly microdissected under a microscope, using the fornix and third ventricle as landmarks. The dissection was taken from the area surrounding the fornix, within a range of 0.2 mm medial and ventral to the fornix, 0.3 mm dorsal and 0.1 mm lateral. These dissections were immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at -80° C until processed.
