Involvement of striatum (putamen) neurons in motor and nonmotor behavior fragments in monkeys

Abstract

Putamen neuron spike activity associated with motor and nonmotor functions was studied in monkeys trained to behavioral programs consisting of a series of sequential actions. In general, each putamen neuron was activated during particular behavior fragments. The association of each individual neostriatal neuron with particular behavioral fragments was not constant. When the animal performed a different version of the same program (using different conditioned signals, right- or left-sided tasks, correct or erroneous performance), the neuron could lose its association with the animal's action and become involved in a different action to which it had previously produced no response. Thus, putamen neurons could demonstrate different functional modalities in different versions of the same actions. The use of additional versions of the given program always led to increases in the numbers of behavior fragments during which there were changes in the spike activity of the neurons of interest. This effect was significantly stronger in motor fragments of the program than in nonmotor fragments. These results show that putamen neurons do not have any defined specialization and have different functional modalities when the animal performs different versions of the same action. The nature of putamen neuron involvement in sensory-cognitive processes was more stable than in the organization of motor responses.

Striatal dopamine release during performance of executive functions: A [11C] raclopride PET study

“…It is worth noting that the putamen, unlike the caudate nucleus, has traditionally been associated more with motorrelated activities rather than cognitive functions. However, there has been evidence that the role of the putamen may not be directly linked to the movement itself, but rather to the condition under which it is made (Tolkunov et al, 1998).…”

Functional role of the basal ganglia in the planning and execution of actions

“…6 -9 Among the different BG nuclei, the caudate nucleus has been shown to play a greater role in executive processes, 10 -14 whereas other structures such as the putamen and subthalamic nucleus have traditionally been associated with more motor-related activities. However, there is evidence that the role of the putamen may not be directly linked to the movement itself, but rather to the condition under which it is made, 15 whereas the subthalamic nucleus may exert a specific influence on the BG output related to the control of movement. 3,16,17 Hence, whereas the evidence accumulated to date suggests that the various nuclei of the BG may have different functional roles, their distinct contribution to the planning and execution of action remains unknown.…”

An fMRI Study of Frontal–Subcortical Skeletomotor Circuit and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Function Using a Paced Motor Activation Paradigm

“…Thus while some evidence has previously suggested anatomic and functional connectivity between dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the frontalsubcortical circuits, this is the first study to demonstrate functional connectivity during motor task execution. Evidence currently exists suggesting that the putamen is involved in some cognitive aspects of motor function Monchi et al 2006;Schultz and Romo 1992;Tolkunov et al 1998). Taken together, these studies suggest that the role of the skeletomotor circuit in motor control may be more complex than predicted by either the basic two-pathway hypothesis or focused selection and may involve cognitive components of task execution.…”