Sodium glutamate infused into the 3rd ventricle is a potent stimulus of ACTH release, as shown by the rise in plasma corticosterone levels. Glutamate failed to consistently increase the plasma corticosterone level in rats with deafferentation of the medial basal hypothalamus (MBH). We suggest that intraventricular glutamate interferes with central nervous function outside the MBH and stimulates ACTH release via afferent neural pathways.