Ventral striatum

Striatum
purple=caudate and putamen, orange=thalamus
Details
Part of	Basal ganglia Reward system
Components	Ventral striatum Dorsal striatum
Identifiers
Latin	neostriatum
NeuroLex ID	Striatum
TA	A14.1.09.516
FMA	77616
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy []

The striatum, also known as the neostriatum or striate nucleus, is one of the nuclei in the subcortical basal ganglia of the forebrain. The striatum is a critical component of the motor and reward systems. It receives both glutamatergic and dopaminergic inputs from different sources, and serves as the primary input to the rest of the basal ganglia nuclei.

In primates, the striatum is divided into ventral and dorsal subdivisions, based upon function and connections. The ventral striatum consists of the nucleus accumbens and the olfactory tubercle. The dorsal striatum consists of the caudate nucleus and the putamen. A white matter tract called the internal capsule in the dorsal part separates the caudate nucleus and the putamen. The striatum functions to coordinate multiple aspects of cognition, including motor and action planning, decision-making, motivation, reinforcement, and reward perception. The term striatum is used to describe the striped (striated) appearance of the grey and white matter of this structure.