Perceptual-motor learning in amnesic patients with medial temporal lobe lesions.

Three patients amnesic due to encephalitis and six normal control subjects performed a 45-rpm rotary pursuit task. Bilateral damage of the medial temporal lobe was confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging for all three patients. All amnesic patients acquired the skill, although actual time on target differed across individuals. On the retention test, after a seven-day interval, amnesic patients showed complete retention of the skill without acknowledgement of the acquisition training.