Long-term cognitive impairment in MPTP-treated rhesus monkeys

Following MPTP administration, monkeys manifest cognitive deficits on tasks known to assess the fronto-striatal system; there are, however, no data regarding long-term cognitive effects. In this study, we examined the cognitive abilities of monkeys 10 years after MPTP administration. MPTP-treated monkeys and age-matched controls performed a spatial delayed response task with fixed and random delays. The MPTP-treated monkeys were impaired in both versions of the task. Both groups performed at the same level at very short delays suggesting that the nature of the impairment is related to a spatial memory deficit that is still apparent 10 years after treatment. These results suggest that, like Parkinson's patients, the MPTP-treated primates display spatial deficits.