What is the striatum?
The striatum is a key component of the basal ganglia, a group of structures in the brain involved in controlling movement and reward. (1)
Where is the striatum located?
What are the parts of the striatum?
* the caudate nucleus (1) – The caudate nucleus and putamen together are sometimes referred to as the dorsal striatum. They are involved in various aspects of motor control, including the planning and execution of movement, motor learning, and the selection of actions based on their predicted outcomes.
* the putamen (1)
* the ventral striatum (1) – The ventral striatum, especially the nucleus accumbens, is heavily involved in the brain’s reward system. It plays a role in pleasure, reinforcement learning, and addiction, among other things.
What does the striatum contain?
striatal neurons (2)
What does the striatum do?
The striatum receives input from a wide range of areas in the brain, including the cerebral cortex and the substantia nigra, and sends output to other components of the basal ganglia. (1)
Dopamine release in the striatum modulates the activity of striatal neurons and is crucial for many of its functions. (1) In conditions like Parkinson’s disease, the loss of these dopaminergic inputs can severely disrupt the normal functioning of the striatum and the basal ganglia as a whole. (1)
Resources
1. ChatGPT 4, 6/3/23 “What is the striatum?”
2. ChatGPT 4, 6/3/23 “What are striatal neurons?”
