Easton A, Ridley RM, Baker HF, Gaffan D (2000) Crossed unilateral lesions of the cholinergic basal forebrain (by me20.4IgG-saporin) and fornix from inferior temporal cortex produce severe learning impairments in rhesus monkeys. Neuroscience 2000 Abstracts 205.8. Society for Neuroscience, New Orleans, LA.
Summary: Section of the anterior temporal stem, amygdala and fornix in monkeys results in a dense anterograde amnesia. We have proposed that this impairment is a result of isolating the medial temporal lobe and inferior temporal cortex from their basal forebrain afferents. Evidence suggests that the cholinergic cells of the basal forebrain are important for learning and memory. In the present experiment we have made an immunotoxic unilateral lesion (ME20.4IgG-saporin), specific for the cholinergic cells of the basal forebrain, in combination with unilateral fornix damage in the same hemisphere, and a lesion of the inferior temporal cortex in the opposite hemisphere to disconnect these cholinergic cells from the medial temporal lobe and inferior temporal cortex. These monkeys were severely impaired at scene learning and concurrent visual discrimination learning, both of which are sensitive to sections of the anterior temporal stem, amygdala and fornix. This deficit is strongly correlated with the degree of acetylcholine loss in the basal forebrain in the hemisphere with the immunotoxic lesion. This result strengthens the proposal that the cholinergic cells of the basal forebrain are essential for new learning, and that their interaction with the medial temporal lobe and inferior temporal cortex is required for normal learning in monkey and man.
Related Products: ME20.4-SAP (Cat. #IT-15)