The Role of the Dorsal Striatum in Reward and Decision-Making

Corticostriatal circuits involved in decision-making. a, b, The learning processes controlling the acquisition of reward-related actions are mediated by converging projections from regions of anteromedial prefrontal cortex (MPC) to the rodent dorsomedial striatum or primate dorsoanterior striatum (DM), whereas the processes mediating the acquisition of stimulus-bound actions, or habits, are thought to be mediated by projections from sensorimotor cortex (SM) to the rodent dorsolateral–primate dorsoposterior striatum (DL) (b). These corticostriatal connections are parts of distinct feedback loops that project back to their cortical origins via substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr)/globus pallidus internal segment (GPi) and the mediodorsal (MD)/posterior (PO) nuclei of the thalamus. c, Reward and predictors of reward are the major motivational influences on the performance of goal-directed and habitual actions that are thought to be mediated by corticostriatal circuits involving, particularly, ventral striatum (VS) and regions of the amygdala. Dopamine is an important modulator of plasticity in the dorsal striatum, whereas its tonic release has long been associated with the motivational processes mediated by the ventral circuit. VTA, Ventral tegmental area; SNc, substantia nigra pars compacta.