Clustering of perirhinal neurons with similar properties following visual experience in adult monkeys

• Published in: Nature neuroscience Vol. 3; no. 11; pp. 1143 - 1148
• Main Authors: Erickson, Cynthia A, Jagadeesh, Bharathi, Desimone, Robert
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Nature Publishing Group 01.11.2000
• Subjects: Action Potentials - physiology; Adult learning; Adults; Aging; Animals; cortex (perirhinal); Discrimination Learning - physiology; Macaca; Macaca mulatta; Male; Nerves, Peripheral; Neurons; Neurons - physiology; Pattern Recognition, Visual - physiology; Photic Stimulation - methods; Physiological aspects; Properties; Rhesus monkey; Vision; Visual cortex; Visual Cortex - physiology; United Kingdom
• ISSN: 1097-6256; 1546-1726
• DOI: 10.1038/80664

The functional organization of early visual areas seems to be largely determined during development. However, the organization of areas important for learning and memory, such as perirhinal cortex, may be modifiable in adults. To test this hypothesis, we recorded from pairs of neurons in perirhinal cortex of macaques while they viewed multiple complex stimuli. For novel stimuli, neuronal response preferences for pairs of nearby neurons and far-apart neurons were uncorrelated. However, after one day of experience with the stimuli, response preferences of nearby neurons became more similar. We conclude that specific visual experience induces development of clusters of perirhinal neurons with similar stimulus preferences.