The Behavioural Effects of Frontopolar Cortex Lesions in the Macaque Monkey

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event The Behavioural Effects of Frontopolar Cortex Lesions in the Macaque Monkey P G F Browning1, Mark Buckley1* and C. Piekema1 1 Oxford University, Department of Experimental Psychology, United Kingdom The most anterior part of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), the frontopolar cortex (FPC), or Walker’s area 10, is the largest region within human PFC. Despite many interesting theoretical accounts of FPC function, the only consensus reached is arguably our uncertainty as to the precise functions mediated by FPC. One reason for this is that unlike other PFC regions, there is scarce evidence from animal studies to inform or constrain theories of FPC function. Here we report the behavioural effects of the first selective FPC lesions in the macaque monkey. Our results indicate that FPC lesioned macaques are unimpaired in prospective or retrospective memory, and are unimpaired in learning and switching between new abstract rules; however they are significantly impaired at an element of episodic memory, namely one-trial learning about objects within a context. Analyses of the nature of the deficit indicate a deficit consistent with the first comprehensive report of macaque PFC neuronal activity [1], that is, in evaluating self-generated decisions. The pattern of deficits across all tasks is unlike that observed after lesions to any other PFC region, suggesting that the role of the FPC of the macaque is distinct to that of other PFC regions.