The Nobel Institute for Neurophysiology
Research Themes:
Selection of behaviour
The basal ganglia contribute to the selaction of which motor programs are activated at a given moment of time. The striatal circuitry plays most likely a central role, in particular with the medium spiny neurons, which may serve as an active filter for thalamic and cortical inputs. The membrane properties of these cells stabilize the down-state from which a strong stimulus can elicit an up-state permitting activity, which in turn via a mechanism of inhibition – disinhibition leads to a release of the selected motor program.
Last modified: 2009-05-30