Dorsal striatum

The dorsal striatum, corpus striatum or striated body is a compound structure in the brain, consisting of the caudate nucleus, and the lentiform nucleus (which consists of the putamen and the globus pallidus). It is a pair of nuclear masses that form the basal ganglia, along with the subthalamic nucleus and the substantia nigra.

Definition
The term has been defined in a few different ways:


 * According to the 1917 version of Gray's Anatomy, it is the combination of the lentiform nucleus and the caudate nucleus


 * According to BrainInfo it is a part of the basal ganglia comprising the globus pallidus and striatum.


 * It may also refer to both the basal ganglia and the internal capsule collectively.


 * It may also refer to the putamen and caudate collectively

Anatomy
A part of the dorsal striatum is imbedded in the white substance of the hemisphere, and is therefore external to the ventricle; it is termed the extraventricular portion, or the lentiform nucleus.

The remainder, however, projects into the ventricle, and is named the intraventricular portion, or the caudate nucleus.

The dorsal striatum has received its name from the striped appearance presented by a section of its anterior part, in consequence of diverging white fibers mixed with the gray substance that forms its chief mass. From lateral to medial, there lies the external capsule (white matter), the lentiform nucleus (gray matter), the internal capsule (white matter), and the caudate nucleus (gray matter).