Cholinergic modulation of a specific memory function of prefrontal cortex

Deficits in prefrontal cholinergic function have been implicated in cognitive impairment in many neuropsychiatric diseases. Here, the authors report that monkeys with lesions of cholinergic input to prefrontal cortex were impaired on a spatial working memory task, but not on other tests of cognitive function that also require intact prefrontal cortex.