page_title: Neuroanatomy of memory
section_title: Basal ganglia and motor memory
hierarchical_section_title: Neuroanatomy of memory / Subcortical structures / Basal ganglia and motor memory
context_page_description: The neuroanatomy of memory encompasses a wide variety of anatomical structures in the brain.
context_section_description: The basal ganglia are a group of nuclei which are located in the medial temporal lobe, above the thalamus and connected to the cerebral cortex. Specifically, the basal ganglia includes the subthalamic nucleus, substantia nigra, the globus pallidus, the ventral striatum and the dorsal striatum, which consists of the putamen and the caudate nucleus. The basic functions of these nuclei deal with cognition, learning, and motor control and activities. The basal ganglia are also associated with learning, memory, and unconscious memory processes, such as motor skills and implicit memory. Particularly, one division within the ventral striatum, the nucleus accumbens core, is involved in the consolidation, retrieval and reconsolidation of drug memory.
  The caudate nucleus is thought to assist in learning and memory of associations taught during operant conditioning. Specifically, research has shown that this part of the basal ganglia plays a role in acquiring stimulus-response habits, as well as in solving sequence tasks.
  Damage to the basal ganglia has been linked to dysfunctional learning of motor and perceptual-motor skills. Most disorders that are associated with damage to these areas of the brain involve some type of motor dysfunction, as well as trouble with mental switching between tasks in working memory. Such symptoms are often present in those who suffer from dystonia, athymhormic syndrome, Fahr's syndrome, Huntington's disease or Parkinson's disease. Huntington's and Parkinson's disease involve both motor deficits and cognitive impairment.
caption: Basal ganglia (red) and related structures (blue)