Role of Parietal Cortex and Hippocampus in Representing Spatial Information

Rats with lesions in the parietal cortex or hippocampus as well as cortical lesion and sham-operated controls were tested for acquisition or retention of a cheese board spatial task (dry land version of a water maze task). Results indicated that, relative to controls, rats with hippocampal or parietal cortex lesions were impaired in both acquisition and retention of the spatial task as measured by increased distances traveled to find the correct food location. It is suggested that both the hippocampus and parietal cortex subserve spatial representations required for optimal learning and performance of the cheese board spatial task.