Introduction
The perirhinal cortex lies on the ventral surface of the
temporal lobe in primates and in equivalent regions in all
other mammals (Figure 1a). It is a small strip of cortex,
roughly 20 mm long in macaque monkeys. Although the
perirhinal cortex was described as a distinct architectonic
region nearly 100 years ago [1], textbooks typically neglect
it entirely. Indeed, only relatively recently has the perirhinal
cortex begun to be appreciated as functionally distinct
from the neighboring visual cortical area TE [2,3••,4•]. Yet,
perirhinal cortex plays a central role in recognizing objects.
It is essential for representing an object’s many attributes
while recognizing that an object remains a single entity. It
appears to play an important role in both the perception
and memory of objects. In addition, it is important in
establishing associations among objects, including abstractions
such as progress toward a goal. Evidence for each of
these functions is taken up, in turn.