Spatial relational learning persists following neonatal hippocampal lesions in macaque monkeys.
The hippocampus is important for the acquisition of spatial representations of the environment and consequently in contextual memory. This suggests that the neural substrates underlying spatial cognition might be essential for remembering specific life episodes. Indeed, hippocampal lesions prevent spatial relational learning in adult rodents and monkeys, and result in profound amnesia in adult humans. In contrast, we show here that monkeys with neonatal hippocampal lesions learned new spatial relational information. Our experiments suggest that early hippocampal damage leads to functional brain reorganization that enables spatial information to be acquired through the use of brain regions that normally do not subserve this function.
Lavenex
Pierre
P
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Neuroscience, California National Primate Research Center, The M.I.N.D. Institute, University of California at Davis, 2805 50th St., Sacramento, California 95817, USA. pierre.lavenex@unifr.ch
Lavenex
Pamela Banta
PB
Amaral
David G
DG
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D003463:Cues; D003714:Denervation; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation / Q000209:etiology; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*