BDV infection-induced obesity was associated with: 1. hypothalamic inflammation. 2. Hippocampal involution and microglial activation in the neocortex. 3. Preferential infection of glutamatergic sites, while sparing GABAergic areas, causing (anabolic appetite-stimulating) GABAergic predominance and fat accumulation 4. Leptin resistance in the brain. Here, LEP is linked to obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency.