Source Paper
Dorsolateral prefrontal lesions and oculomotor delayed-response performance: evidence for mnemonic "scotomas"
S Funahashi, CJ Bruce, PS Goldman-Rakic
Journal of Neuroscience • 1993
Source Paper
S Funahashi, CJ Bruce, PS Goldman-Rakic
Journal of Neuroscience • 1993
The spatial memory functions of the monkey's prefrontal cortex were examined with oculomotor delayed-response (ODR) paradigms that required the animal to remember the spatial location of peripheral visual cues, while maintaining fixation on a central visual target during the presentation of each cue and during a subsequent 1.5–8 sec delay period. Four rhesus monkeys received unilateral or serial prefrontal lesions in and around the principal sulcus after they reached criterion performance on the ODR tasks. Unilateral lesions disrupted the performance of memory-guided eye movements to spatial cues in the visual field contralateral to the hemisphere in which the lesion was placed. Memory-guided eye movements to ipsilateral cues were mildly affected by unilateral lesions, and these lesions had little or no effect on performance in visually guided control tasks. With addition of a second lesion in the opposite hemisphere, the deficit was extended to include the opposite hemifield. The impairment was characterized by eye movements of inappropriate direction, and, excepting the one lesion that extended into the frontal eye field region of the arcuate sulcus, saccadic reaction times and velocities were the same before and after the lesions. The effect of the lesions was delay dependent: performance was rarely altered at the shortest (1.5 sec) delay but became progressively worse as the delay period was lengthened. The present results strengthen the evidence that the delayed-response deficits of monkeys with prefrontal lesions are caused by failure to maintain a transient memory “trace” in working memory, and indicate for the first time that working memory mechanisms are lateralized: memories for visuo- spatial coordinates in each hemifield are processed primarily in the contralateral prefrontal cortex. These findings provide evidence for the concept of mnemonic hemianopias and mnemonic scotomas, that is, memory deficits for particular hemifields or visual field locations, unaccompanied by simple sensory or motor deficits.
Objective: To examine the spatial memory functions of the monkey's prefrontal cortex and the effects of unilateral or serial lesions in and around the principal sulcus on oculomotor delayed-response performance and memory-guided eye movements
This is a Prefrontal Lesion Surgery protocol using rhesus monkey as the model organism. The procedure involves 10 procedural steps, 2 equipment items. Extracted from a 1993 paper published in Journal of Neuroscience.
Model and subjects
rhesus monkey • 4
Study window
Estimated timing pending
Core workflow
Pre-lesion Training • Oculomotor Delayed-Response Task - Cue Presentation • Oculomotor Delayed-Response Task - Delay Period
Primary readouts
Key equipment and reagents
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Train rhesus monkeys on oculomotor delayed-response tasks until they reach criterion performance
Note: Animals must achieve criterion performance before lesion placement
“Four rhesus monkeys received unilateral or serial prefrontal lesions in and around the principal sulcus after they reached criterion performance on the ODR tasks”
Present peripheral visual cues to the animal while the animal maintains fixation on a central visual target
Note: Cues are presented in the visual field to be tested
“required the animal to remember the spatial location of peripheral visual cues, while maintaining fixation on a central visual target during the presentation of each cue”
Maintain central fixation during a delay period after cue presentation
Note: Delay period varies from 1.5 to 8 seconds to test delay-dependent effects
“during a subsequent 1.5–8 sec delay period”
Animal makes a memory-guided eye movement to the remembered location of the peripheral visual cue
Note: Performance is measured by accuracy and direction of eye movements
“required the animal to remember the spatial location of peripheral visual cues”
Place a unilateral lesion in and around the principal sulcus of the prefrontal cortex
Note: Lesion is placed after criterion performance is achieved on ODR tasks
“Four rhesus monkeys received unilateral or serial prefrontal lesions in and around the principal sulcus”
Test oculomotor delayed-response performance following unilateral lesion placement
Note: Assess effects on contralateral and ipsilateral visual field performance
“Unilateral lesions disrupted the performance of memory-guided eye movements to spatial cues in the visual field contralateral to the hemisphere in which the lesion was placed”
Perform visually guided eye movement control tasks to assess basic oculomotor function
Note: Controls for sensory or motor deficits independent of memory function
“these lesions had little or no effect on performance in visually guided control tasks”
Place a second lesion in the opposite hemisphere
Note: Second lesion extends the deficit to include the opposite hemifield
“With addition of a second lesion in the opposite hemisphere, the deficit was extended to include the opposite hemifield”
Test oculomotor delayed-response performance following bilateral lesion placement
Note: Assess effects on both visual hemifields
“With addition of a second lesion in the opposite hemisphere, the deficit was extended to include the opposite hemifield”
Analyze performance across different delay periods (1.5 to 8 seconds) to determine delay-dependent effects
Note: Performance deficits increase with longer delay periods
“The effect of the lesions was delay dependent: performance was rarely altered at the shortest (1.5 sec) delay but became progressively worse as the delay period was lengthened”
This section explains what the experiment is doing, which readouts matter, what the data artifacts usually look like, and how the analysis should flow from raw capture to reported result.
To examine the spatial memory functions of the monkey's prefrontal cortex and the effects of unilateral or serial lesions in and around the principal sulcus on oculomotor delayed-response performance and memory-guided eye movements
Objective
To examine the spatial memory functions of the monkey's prefrontal cortex and the effects of unilateral or serial lesions in and around the principal sulcus on oculomotor delayed-response performance and memory-guided eye movements
Subjects
From paperrhesus monkey
Sample count
From paper4
Cohort notes
From paperAnimals reached criterion performance on ODR tasks before lesion placement
Pre-lesion Training
Oculomotor Delayed-Response Task - Cue Presentation
Oculomotor Delayed-Response Task - Delay Period (1.5-8 seconds)
Oculomotor Delayed-Response Task - Memory-Guided Saccade
Accuracy of memory-guided eye movements to contralateral visual field cues
From paperPerformance was compared before and after lesion placement.
Artifact type
Endpoint measurements summarized by group or timepoint
Comparison focus
Compare endpoint magnitude between groups, timepoints, or both
Accuracy of memory-guided eye movements to ipsilateral visual field cues
From paperPerformance was compared before and after lesion placement.
Artifact type
Endpoint measurements summarized by group or timepoint
Comparison focus
Compare endpoint magnitude between groups, timepoints, or both
Direction of eye movements (appropriate vs. inappropriate)
From paperPerformance was compared before and after lesion placement.
Artifact type
Endpoint measurements summarized by group or timepoint
Comparison focus
Compare endpoint magnitude between groups, timepoints, or both
Saccadic reaction times
From paperPerformance was compared before and after lesion placement.
Artifact type
Endpoint measurements summarized by group or timepoint
Comparison focus
Compare endpoint magnitude between groups, timepoints, or both
Accuracy of memory-guided eye movements to contralateral visual field cues
From paperRaw artifact
Per-sample or per-animal endpoint measurements collected during the experiment
Processed artifact
Structured table with cleaned measurements ready for comparison
Final reported form
Summary statistics and between-group or across-timepoint comparisons
Accuracy of memory-guided eye movements to ipsilateral visual field cues
From paperRaw artifact
Per-sample or per-animal endpoint measurements collected during the experiment
Processed artifact
Structured table with cleaned measurements ready for comparison
Final reported form
Summary statistics and between-group or across-timepoint comparisons
Direction of eye movements (appropriate vs. inappropriate)
From paperRaw artifact
Per-sample or per-animal endpoint measurements collected during the experiment
Processed artifact
Structured table with cleaned measurements ready for comparison
Final reported form
Summary statistics and between-group or across-timepoint comparisons
Saccadic reaction times
From paperRaw artifact
Per-sample or per-animal endpoint measurements collected during the experiment
Processed artifact
Structured table with cleaned measurements ready for comparison
Final reported form
Summary statistics and between-group or across-timepoint comparisons
Acquisition
Collect raw experimental outputs with enough metadata to preserve sample identity, condition, and timing.
Preprocessing / cleaning
Performance was compared before and after lesion placement.
Scoring or quantification
Quantify the primary readouts for this experiment: Accuracy of memory-guided eye movements to contralateral visual field cues; Accuracy of memory-guided eye movements to ipsilateral visual field cues; Direction of eye movements (appropriate vs. inappropriate); Saccadic reaction times.
Statistical comparison
Statistical method not yet structured for this page.
Reporting output
Report representative outputs alongside summary comparisons for Accuracy of memory-guided eye movements to contralateral visual field cues, Accuracy of memory-guided eye movements to ipsilateral visual field cues, Direction of eye movements (appropriate vs. inappropriate), Saccadic reaction times.
Source links and direct wording from the methods section for validation and deeper review.
Citation
S Funahashi et al. (1993). Dorsolateral prefrontal lesions and oculomotor delayed-response performance: evidence for mnemonic "scotomas". Journal of Neuroscience
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