Striatal Mechanisms of Associative Learning and Dysfunction in Neurological Disease

Abstract

In this chapter, we have reviewed concepts of basal ganglia anatomy and physiology within the context of associative learning. We are increasingly uncovering the mechanisms by which we learn and are developing better models to describe and predict adaptive behavior. Reinforcement learning theory has proven to be a great stride in this defection; however, we will need to continue to update these models and reconceptualize frameworks to include new findings on the role of dopamine in reward processing within the basal ganglia. Certainly, the recent advent and adoption of new approaches will guide these novel discoveries, such as optogenetics, in vivo two-photon and calcium imaging, and advancements in noninvasive functional neuroimaging and invasive single-neuronal recordings. In addition, much of our current understanding stems from findings in non-human animal models, which pose certain limitations in making inferences to human learning. This, of course, proves to be a significant and important unmet clinical need, given the implication of motor and neuropsychiatric disorders on human learning performance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)