striato

Striato is a term used in neuroanatomy to refer to the striatum, a major component of the basal ganglia in the forebrain. The striatum is a subcortical structure located deep within the cerebral hemispheres and is divided into dorsal and ventral regions. In humans, the dorsal striatum consists of the caudate nucleus and the putamen, often together called the neostriatum. The ventral striatum includes the nucleus accumbens and the olfactory tubercle, and it is key to reward, motivation, and reinforcement learning.

The striatum receives cortical, thalamic, and limbic inputs, and sends outputs to the globus pallidus and substantia nigra, forming cortico-basal ganglia circuits that regulate motor control, action selection, learning, and habit formation. Neurochemical modulation is strongly dopaminergic, with dopamine from the substantia nigra pars compacta and ventral tegmental area altering striatal activity and plasticity.

Functional organization is often described in terms of nigrostriatal loops corresponding to sensorimotor, associative, and limbic functions, with the dorsal striatum more tied to movement and habit, and the ventral striatum more linked to reward and motivation.

Clinically, striatal dysfunction is central to several disorders, including Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, dystonias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Tourette syndrome. Pathology can disrupt motor learning, initiation, and reward processing. Etymology derives from Latin striatus, striped, reflecting the striped appearance of fiber tracts interleaved with gray matter.