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Learning and motivation in the human striatum
1Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10025, USA. shohamy@psych.columbia.edu
Current Opinion in Neurobiology
|June 11, 2011
Summary
The striatum, once thought to govern habit learning, is now understood to be crucial for motivated learning across diverse behaviors. It integrates various learning signals and interacts with other brain systems to optimize action selection based on predicted value.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- The striatum was traditionally viewed as central to habit formation and stimulus-response learning.
- Recent research indicates a more expansive role for the striatum in behavioral regulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the evolving understanding of the striatum's function in behavior.
- To highlight the striatum's role in motivated learning and action selection.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent human neuroimaging research.
- Synthesis of findings on striatal function across cognitive domains.
Main Results:
- The striatum is involved in motivated learning, not just habitual associations.
- It represents multiple learning signals and interacts with other brain systems.
- Its function extends across various cognitive domains and contexts.
Conclusions:
- The striatum plays a key role in a distributed network for adaptive behavior.
- It contributes to learning to select actions based on predicted value to optimize outcomes.
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