Roles of the cortico-basal ganglia loop in rule-based behavioral choice

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We select from multiple actions depending on a given situation. Analysis of the underlying neural mechanisms may shed light on the understanding of the pathophysiology in a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders which accompany behavioral deficits. We examined neuronal activity in the basal ganglia and the thalamus in monkeys performing eye movement tasks, and found that neuronal activity was enhanced as the animals were required to suppress impulsive behavior. Inactivation of the recording sites resulted in the increment of impulsive behavior, suggesting that the basal ganglia?thalamocortical pathways may play a causal role in the organization of purposeful behavior.