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Updated: Jul 29, 2026

Measuring In Vivo Changes in Extracellular Neurotransmitters During Naturally Rewarding Behaviors in Female Syrian Hamsters
Published on: September 12, 2017
Availability of metabolic fuels controls estrous cyclicity of Syrian hamsters
1Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 01003.
Abstract:
Food deprivation and weight loss inhibit ovulation and estrous behavior in Syrian hamsters. In the present experiments, lean hamsters were more susceptible to starvation-induced anestrus than fat hamsters. However, anestrus was not caused by changes in any dimension of body size per se, but instead by the availability of metabolic fuels. Simultaneous pharmacological blockade of both fatty acid oxidation and glycolysis inhibited reproduction, but, as long as one of these metabolic pathways could be used, estrous cycles continued. Thus, reproduction in female Syrian hamsters is sensitive to the general availability of oxidizable metabolic fuels.
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