Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory

Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory

The cerebellum, while traditionally associated with motor control, also plays a crucial role in memory, particularly in procedural memory, which involves learning motor tasks that become automatic through repetition. For example, studies have shown that when the cerebellum is damaged, individuals or animals lose the ability to learn conditioned motor responses, such as the conditioned eye-blink response in classical conditioning experiments with rabbits. This study demonstrates the cerebellum's...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Lipopolysaccharide exposure in a rat sepsis model results in hippocampal amyloid-β plaque and phosphorylated tau deposition and corresponding behavioral deficits.

GeroScience·2019

Same author

Unfolding the cognitive map: The role of hippocampal and extra-hippocampal substrates based on a systems analysis of spatial processing.

Neurobiology of learning and memory·2017

Same author

An analysis of dentate gyrus function (an update).

Behavioural brain research·2017

Same author

Adaptation of the Arizona Cognitive Task Battery for use with the Ts65Dn mouse model (Mus musculus) of Down syndrome.

Journal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983)·2017

Same author

The ventral dentate gyrus mediates pattern separation for reward value.

Behavioral neuroscience·2016

Same author

Exploration of the Neurobiological Basis for a Three-System, Multiattribute Model of Memory.

Current topics in behavioral neurosciences·2016

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 30, 2026

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats

Published on: February 15, 2015

An analysis of rat prefrontal cortex in mediating executive function.

Raymond P Kesner¹, John C Churchwell

¹Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. ray.kesner@psych.utah.edu

Neurobiology of Learning and Memory

|August 23, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Rodent models reveal that the rat prefrontal cortex (PFC) supports executive functions like working memory and decision-making. Evidence suggests subregional specificity within the PFC, paralleling functions in monkeys and humans.

More Related Videos

A Fully Automated Rodent Conditioning Protocol for Sensorimotor Integration and Cognitive Control Experiments

A Fully Automated Rodent Conditioning Protocol for Sensorimotor Integration and Cognitive Control Experiments

Published on: April 15, 2014

Correlating Behavioral Responses to fMRI Signals from Human Prefrontal Cortex: Examining Cognitive Processes Using Task Analysis

Correlating Behavioral Responses to fMRI Signals from Human Prefrontal Cortex: Examining Cognitive Processes Using Task Analysis

Published on: June 20, 2012

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 30, 2026

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats

Published on: February 15, 2015

A Fully Automated Rodent Conditioning Protocol for Sensorimotor Integration and Cognitive Control Experiments

A Fully Automated Rodent Conditioning Protocol for Sensorimotor Integration and Cognitive Control Experiments

Published on: April 15, 2014

Correlating Behavioral Responses to fMRI Signals from Human Prefrontal Cortex: Examining Cognitive Processes Using Task Analysis

Correlating Behavioral Responses to fMRI Signals from Human Prefrontal Cortex: Examining Cognitive Processes Using Task Analysis

Published on: June 20, 2012

Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Comparative Psychology
Neurobiology

Background:

Rodent models are crucial for understanding prefrontal cortex (PFC) function due to species-specific differences.
Executive functions, including working memory, planning, and decision-making, are complex cognitive processes.
Comparative studies across species enhance our understanding of conserved neural mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

To review evidence on whether the rat prefrontal cortex (PFC) supports key executive functions.
To examine executive functions such as working memory, temporal processing, planning, flexibility, rule learning, and decision-making in rats.
To explore potential parallels in PFC subregional function across rats, monkeys, and humans.

Main Methods:

Review of studies investigating changes in executive functions following PFC damage in rats.
Examination of working memory (spatial, visual, olfactory, gustatory, response domains), temporal processing, and prospective coding.
Analysis of behavioral flexibility, rule learning, and decision-making (effort, time discounting, uncertainty) in rats, with comparative theories applied to monkeys and humans.

Main Results:

The rat PFC demonstrates involvement in a range of executive functions, including working memory, temporal processing, and decision-making.
Evidence supports subregional specificity within the PFC of rats, mirroring findings in monkeys and humans.
Cognitive functions associated with specific PFC subregions appear to be conserved across these species.

Conclusions:

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) in rats supports diverse executive functions, validating its use in comparative cognitive neuroscience.
Subregional differentiation within the PFC is a conserved feature across rats, monkeys, and humans.
Understanding subregional specificity in rat PFC function offers insights into homologous regions in other species.