ABSTRACT
That hormones can profoundly influence a number of basic behaviors is now well established. In addition to the prenatal organizational effects of hormones on the structure and function of the central nervous system (Carlson, 1981) a wide variety of activational influences can be found. For example, feeding, reproduction (Leshner, 1978; chapters 2 & 5), and maternal behavior (Rosenblatt, 1987) are all greatly affected by the animal's hormonal state. Initiation and maintenance of each of these behaviors seems to be controlled, at least in part, by one hormone or another. Until relatively recently, the role of hormones in more cognitive activities has received less emphasis. However, there is accumulating evidence that certain hormones influence various cognitive functions including attention, learning, and memory (Beckwith & Sandman, 1978; deWeid, 1970; McGaugh, 1983). One hormone that has been of particular interest in this regard is adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). The effect of this hormone on learning and memory has attracted considerable attention in the last two decades (Bohus & deWeid, 1981; Riccio & Concannon, 1981).
