Hippocampectomy and behavior sequences.

Four monkeys with bilateral hippocampal lesions were trained to respond sequentially to visual stimuli, presented with an automated discrimination apparatus. Two different sequential tasks were presented. The experimental animals were significantly inferior on both problems to six control animals. Since no impairment appeared on simple visual discriminations presented with intertrial intervals from 5 seconds to 6 minutes, simple sensory deficits and "short-term" memory impairments appear unlikely. The results strengthen the interpretation that bilateral hippocampal lesions interfere with the acquisition of those behaviors which involve the execution of sequential responses.