The striatum (or corpus striatum or striate nucleus) is a subcortical structure in the forebrain (specifically in the subcortical basal ganglia) that forms the major input to the basal ganglia. Glutamatergic and dopaminergic inputs from various sources come into the striatum and subsequently serve as the primary input for the rest of the basal ganglia. The striatum forms a critical part of the motor and reward systems, coordinates aspects of cognition, including both motor and action planning, decision-making, motivation, reinforcement, and reward perception.
