78 Discussion 



lesions were located in the posterior extreme of the amygdala and in the thalamus. 

 Eleven ineffective lesions were clearly asymmetrical. Two representative effective 

 amygdaloid lesions are shown in Fig. 3. 



These data suggest that a selected part of the amygdaloid complex may be included 

 in neural mechanisms which are active in the inhibition of gonadotropin secretion 

 in immature female rats. We have just begun to look for the anatomical connections 

 that may relate this temporal lobe structure with the anterior hypothalamic area. In 

 a few preliminary experiments, lesions in 24 rats that have failed to destroy the stria 

 terminals bilaterally have been ineffective while two rats with lesions that conclusively 

 destroyed this tract on both sides have shown precocious gonadal stimulation. 



REFERENCES 



1. Elwers, M. and V. Critchlow, Am. J. Physiol. 198, 381, 1960. 



2. BOGDANOVE, E. M. and H. C. Schoen, Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. 100, 664, 1959. 



