THE EFFECTS OF SUPERIOR TEMPORAL CORTEX LESIONS ON THE PROCESSING ANDRETENTION OF AUDITORY INFORMATION IN MONKEYS (CEBUS-APELLA)

Three monkeys with extensive preoperative training on visual and audit ory memory tasks (delayed matching-to-sample), an auditory pattern-dis crimination task, and a visual serial-order task, received bilateral l esions of the superior temporal (ST) cortex in two stages, with testin g after each lesion. Unilateral ST cortex lesions resulted in only mod erate auditory memory impairments, whereas bilateral ST cortex lesions resulted in severe auditory memory impairments. The bilateral ST cort ex lesions also resulted in severe impairments in the ability to relea rn the auditory pattern-discrimination task. In contrast to the audito ry impairments, neither unilateral nor bilateral ST cortex lesions had any effect whatsoever on either visual memory or visual serial-order behavior. These findings indicate that the ST cortex plays a role in a uditory processing and retention similar to that played by the inferio r temporal cortex for visual processing and retention.