Role of ovarian hormones on hoarding in rats--feedback mechanism.

The adult female rats hoard large quantities of food during proestrus and continue hoarding if ovariectomised at proestrus (Group I). The hoarding score is lowest in diestrus and continue to remain low if ovariectomised during this phase (Group II). The scores in Group I and Group II are reversed in intracerebral administration of Progesterone and Estradiol Benzoate respectively into preoptic areas. The significance of the response is discussed on the basis of built-in feedback mechanism for hoarding cyclicity.