Contributions of postrhinal and perirhinal cortex to contextual information processing

The role of the postrhinal cortex (POR) and the perirhinal cortex (PER) in processing relational or contextual information was examined with Pavlovian fear conditioning. Rats with electrolytic or neurotoxic lesions of the POR or PER were tested in 2 contextual fear conditioning paradigms. In Experim ent 1. electrolytic lesions of the POR or PER produced impairments in conte xtual fear conditioning but not in conditioning to a phasic auditory condit ioned stimulus. Neurotoxic lesions of the FOR or PER likewise resulted in a nterograde (Experiment 2) and retrograde (Experiment 3) deficits in fear co nditioning to the training context in an unsignaled shock paradigm. The res ults suggest that operations performed on sensory information by the POR an d PER are necessary to support contextual learning.