Templates for Neural Dynamics in the Striatum: Striosomes and Matrisomes
The striatum appears to be a relatively simple forebrain region compared to the overlying neocortex, with its horizontal layers and vertical columns. In fact, the striatum in mammals has a sophisticated architecture of its own. This large subcortical region is now suspected of having a major influence on how the neocortex carries out its own functions—even functions related to human language. Furthermore, abnormalities in the striatum are increasingly being discovered in human disorders affecting both cognitive and motor functions. It is, as a consequence, increasingly difficult to see the neocortex as a higher structure and the striatum as a lower structure in terms of their influence on behavior. The chapter is not a full review of this topic, but it points out some findings from the author’s laboratory that hint at such functions for the striosomal system.