The ovarian compensatory hypertrophy (OCH) response was evaluated in adult female rats bearing bilateral electrolytic lesions in the cortical nucleus of the amygdala (ACO), the stria terminalis (ST), and the cerebral cortex (CCx). The left ovary was removed and weighed at the time of lesioning; 10 days later, the right ovary was removed, weighed, and the percentage increase in weight calculated. There was no difference between the OCH response in non-lesioned controls and that in sham ACO-, or ST-lesioned animals (electrodes lowered but no current passed), nor between the response in rats with CCx lesions and that in the sham controls. In contrast, a significant inhibition of the OCH response was noted in those animals bearing lesions in the ACO or ST when compared to their respective controls. These data indicate that the cortical nucleus of the amygdala plays a critical role in the response of the neuroendocrine network to steroid withdrawal. Further physiological support is also offered for the ST as a vital information link between the amygdala and hypothalamus.