PreprintCited by 464Motor Control and AdaptationMemory and Neural MechanismsNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

The striatum: where skills and habits meet

Open access
Graybiel, Ann M., Grafton, Scott T.·2015·Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology

Abstract

After more than a century of work concentrating on the motor functions of the basal ganglia, new ideas have emerged, suggesting that the basal ganglia also have major functions in relation to learning habits and acquiring motor skills. We review the evidence supporting the role of the striatum in optimizing behavior by refining action selection and in shaping habits and skills as a modulator of motor repertoires. These findings challenge the notion that striatal learning processes are limited to the motor domain. The learning mechanisms supported by striatal circuitry generalize to other domains, including cognitive skills and emotion-related patterns of action.

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Crossref · 10.1101/cshperspect.a021691

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  • The fast and involuntary character of habits renders them relatively impervious to cognitive and inhibitory control.

    “The fast and involuntary character of habits, which require limited thought to be performed, renders them relatively impervious to cognitive and inhibitory control [10 -15].”

    From Habit as a therapeutic component in psychological treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder: A randomised controlled feasibility study. (2026) · cites this paper as [12]

    The Abstract says practiced habits become automatic and resilient against competing actions, supporting the claim that they require limited thought and can resist disruption. But the section “Where Are Habits ‘Stored’?” reports moment-by-moment cortical control over whether a well-ingrained habit is performed; it does not establish that habits are relatively impervious to cognitive or inhibitory control. Page numbers are not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Authors
Graybiel, A. M., & Grafton, S. T.
Affiliations
  • McGovern Institute for Brain Research (US)
  • University of California, Santa Barbara (US)
Venue
Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology
Published
2015-08
Volume
7
Issue
8
Pages
a021691
ISSN
1943-0264 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W1905790310
Cited by
463
References
71
Citations by year
2026: 40 · 2025: 37 · 2024: 51 · 2023: 48 · 2022: 44 · 2021: 57 · 2020: 52 · 2019: 35 · 2018: 43 · 2017: 27 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 1
Type
posted content
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DSpace@MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (-0001)
  • Office of Naval Research (N00014‐07‐1‐0903, W911NF-09-D-0001, -0001, N00014)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH060379)
  • National Eye Institute (R01EY012848)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS 44393, P01NS044393, R01NS025529)
  • Army Research Office (#W911NF-09-D-0001, W911NF)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Motor Control and Adaptation
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
Keywords
striatum, basal ganglia, motor learning, habit formation, motor skills, action selection, motor repertoire, cognitive learning, emotional learning, striatal circuitry
MeSH terms
Behavior, Corpus Striatum, Humans, Learning, Motor Skills

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