A study of the functional development of motor area-premotor association area in rhesus monkeys.

在刚出生的恒河猴中，一个延迟反应任务和它的改进版本，一个隐藏任务，是用手训练的。为了在一个自由移动的实验室内完成这项任务，猴子必须用一只手打开一个小瓶盖，用一只手拿起一块苹果送到嘴里。猴子在出生后2-4个月以3-5秒的延迟期学习任务。在学习手部动作和任务的过程中，将GABA激动剂Muscimol和GABA拮抗剂Bicuculline methioide直接注射到运动区、运动前关联区和前额叶皮层，观察到运动和表现受到干扰。研究发现，GABA在运动区、运动前联想区和前额叶皮层对视觉引导手部运动的学习有重要作用，并且在每个区域都有特定的功能发展，即运动区域的运动启动、运动前联想区的视觉-运动关联和技能以及前额叶皮层的空间工作记忆。

In newly born rhesus monkeys, a delayd response task and its modified version, a hiding task, were trained with use of the hand. To perform the task in a freely moving experimental room, the monkey had to open a small bottle cap with either hand and to pick up a piece of apple with either hand and bring it to the mouth. The monkey learned the task with 3-5s delay period in 2-4 months after birth. During the course of the learning the hand movement and the task, a GABA agonist, Muscimol and a GABA antagonist, Bicuculline methiodide, were injected directly into the motor area, premotor association arca and prefrontal cortex and disrupted movement and performence were observed. It was found that the GABA had an important role to learn a visually guided hand movement in the motor area, premotor assocition area and prefrontal cortex and that in each area specific function develops, i.e.initiation of the movement in the motor area, visuo-movement association and skill in the premotor association area and spatial working memory in the prefrontal cortex.