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Classic
experiments by Geoffrey Harris demonstrated
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how hormones may
influence motivated behavior.
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Harris and
colleagues implanted crystals of stilboestrol
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esters in the
hypothalamus of ovariectomized cats.
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These cats had
atrophic genitalia. Implantation of
these
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esters elicited
full mating behavior from the cats.
Thus
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although the
cats were anestrous from the point of view
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of the endocrine
system in the periphery, the animals
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were estrous from
the point of view of the CNS.
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These experiments
established the concept that the
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brain is a target
for specific feedback action from
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gonadal
steroids, leading to modulations in motivated
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behavior through
neural circuits almost certainly
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connected to the
hypothalamus.
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