Protein levels of c-Fos (A), a marker of neuronal excitation, in the subfornical organ (SFO) and hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and plasma levels of norepinephrine (NE; B), a marker of sympathetic excitation, in rats 4 wk after coronary artery ligation to induce heart failure (HF) or sham operation (Sham) and 5 wk after SFO microinjection of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) receptor 1 (TNFR1) shRNA, scrambled (Con) shRNA, or vehicle (Veh). Values are expressed as means ± SE; n = 6 or 7 for each group. Values for protein levels were corrected by β-actin. Data were analyzed with two-way ANOVA followed by multiple-comparison tests [A, SFO, HF effect: F(1, 36) = 163, P < 0.0001; treatment effect: F(2, 36) = 6.89, P = 0.003. PVN, HF effect: F(1, 36) = 256, P < 0.0001; treatment effect: F(2, 36) = 10, P = 0.0003. B, HF effect: F(1, 30) = 59, P < 0.0001; treatment effect: F(2, 30) = 3.46, P = 0.04]. *P < 0.05 vs. Sham + Veh; †P < 0.05, HF + TNFR1 shRNA vs. HF + Veh.