The neuronal basis of visual memory and imagery in the primate: a neurophysiological approach

To understand the biological basis of memory is one of the most exciting frontiers of science. Single unit recording is a powerful method to investigate neuronal correlates of various brain functions such as memory in awake animals. Anatomical, neuropsychological, and neurophysiological evidence indicates that the IT has an important role not only for synthesizing the analyzed visual attribute into a unique configuration, but also for the storehouse of visual memory in humans and primates. We performed single unit recordings in the primate IT, and found neuronal correlates of visual long-term memory: the IT neurons could reflect learned associative relations among stimuli. The findings reviewed here support the hypothesis that the IT is a region of the brain where visual perception meets memory and imagery.