HIPPOCAMPAL-LESIONS IMPAIR SPATIAL RESPONSE SELECTION IN THE PRIMATE

This study investigates the role of the primate hippocampus in spatial cognition. Following lesions to the hippocampus, monkeys were unable to learn to direct their responses to different locations in space, based on a spatial cue. This deficit was not due to an impairment in learning to make the responses, since lesioned monkeys were normal when these did not have to be spatially selective. Furthermore, the deficit could not have been due to an impairment in the detection of cues, since lesioned monkeys were normal in their ability to detect visual targets presented over a wide area of space. These results support the view that the hippocampus of the monkey is necessary in order to remember the spatial arrangement of visual scenes in an egocentric manner.