The effects of inferotemporal cortex lesions on Konorski delayed pair comparison in monkeys

Rhesus monkeys were trained on a pair comparison recognition memory task, running concurrently with a signal detection (attention) problem. The animals were given bilateral posterior or anterior inferotemporal cortex lesions once satisfactory performance had been reached. The former group sustained attentional but only transient mnemonic impairments. Anterior lesions impaired visual learning and memory, but not attention. We confirm that inferotemporal cortex is sub-divided into at least two distinct regions, serving visual attention and other cognitive processes. The role of inferotemporal cortex in recognition memory is discussed, and it is concluded that task-related problems do not permit an unambiguous resolution of this question.