Obesity induced by kainic acid microlesion in the ventromedial hypothalamus in rats.

The neurotoxin kainic acid was injected bilaterally into the ventromedial hypothalamus of female rats in doses of 100 or 200 ng. The injections produced microlesions which led to progressive body weight gain and fat deposition in dose dependent manner. The histological examination revealed that the lesions were mainly located in the region between the ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei and the fornix.