Neurotoxic lesions of perirhinal cortex impair visual recognition memory in rhesus monkeys.
Recent excitotoxic lesion studies in monkeys have shown that the recognition memory deficits originally attributed to amygdalo-hippocampal damage were due in whole or in part to the accompanying damage to surrounding tissue, including fibers of passage. Here we show that the same conclusion does not apply to the visual recognition impairment produced by aspiration lesions of perirhinal cortex inasmuch as equally severe impairment was found after excitotoxic lesions of this cortex. The finding demonstrates that damage limited to perirhinal neurons is sufficient to impair visual memory and that damage to fibers of passage neither caused nor exacerbated the effect described initially.
Málková
L
L
Department of Pharmacology, Georgetown University Medical Center, W217 TRB 3950 Reservoir Rd. NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA.
Bachevalier
J
J
Mishkin
M
M
Saunders
R C
RC
D000818:Animals; D019771:Axotomy; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D007051:Ibotenic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology; D020534:Parahippocampal Gyrus / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists; D009498:Neurotoxins; D007051:Ibotenic Acid