The striatum consists of putamen and caudate nucleus and, as part of the extrapyramidal motor system, is important for controlling the volontary motor function.
Putamen and caudate nucleus constitute the dorsal striatium, which has GABAergic inhibitory projection fibers, as well as cholinergic interneurons. Putamen and pallidum are summarized as the lentiform nucleus.
The putamen is located lateral and basal of the C-shaped caudate nucleus, inside the white matter of the insular lobe, seperated from the latter by the external capsule and the claustrum. The anterior and basal part of the caput nuclei caudati are connected to the putamen via the nucleus accumbens. The basal parts form the stratum ventrale.
