Interaction of the Hippocampal Formation and Prefrontal Cortex in Learning and Memory

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RE: Lay abstract Proposal IBN-9982889This is a study to determine if two different regions of the brain, each of which have been separately implicated in memory function, actually work with each other to subserve certain aspects of memory. Work in humans from imaging studies suggest this possibility, but the only way to assess this with any degree of confidence, and to have the ability to understand the nature of the relationship, is to perform an experiment in an animal model. In this case, the rhesus monkey, which has a brain that is structured in a very similar manner to that of humans, is the species of choice. Monkeys will undergo selective damage to these two parts of the brain, one in the temporal lobe, and the other in the frontal lobe. For each structure, the damage will be made on one side of the brain, leaving the other side intact. We will then "disconnect" the two remaining structures to see if this produces a change in how the animals learn and remember. If a significant change occurs, we will have obtained initial evidence in determining that the two different structures participate together in learning and memory function. This study could have important implications in the assessment of memory function in certain disease states and could have eventual bearing on memory rehabilitation efforts.