Functional comparison of neuronal properties in the primate posterior hippocampus and parahippocampus (area TF/TH) during different behavioural paradigms involving memory and selective attention

Abstract

Monkeys were trained on a delayed match-to-sample (DMS) task. In addition a standardized behavioural trial was performed which involved an experimenter approaching the animal in certain sequence and presenting edible or other objects ('raisin trial'). Neuronal activity of 617 units was recorded in the posterior parahippocampus (PH) and in the posterior hippocampus (H). In many cases, we compared the activity of the same neuron in different takss. 32.7% of the 455 PH neurons and 28.5% of the 130 H cells responded during the presentation of the visual stimuli in the DMS task. These responses were only midly influenced by the physical dimensions of the visual stimulus, but often depended on the..