Striosome Explained

The striosomes (also referred to as striatal patches) are one of two complementary chemical compartments within the striatum (the other compartment is known as the matrix) that can be visualized by staining for immunocytochemical markers such as mu opioid receptors,^[1] acetylcholinesterase,^[2] enkephalin, substance P, limbic system-associated membrane protein (LAMP),^[3] AMPA receptor subunit 1 (GluR1),^[4] dopamine receptor subunits, and calcium binding proteins.^[5] Striosomal abnormalities have been associated with neurological disorders, such as mood dysfunction in Huntington's disease,^[6] though their precise function remains unknown. Recently studies have identified the presence of "exo-patch" neurons that are biochemically and genetically the same as striosomal neurons, but reside in the matrix compartment. ^[7] This study also characterized the different input and output connections of the striosome and matrix compartments, revealing that both regions have direct inputs to dopamine neurons (though the striosome inputs are somatic whereas the matrix targets distal dendrites). The authors also revealed unique inputs to the striosome from subcortical limbic structures like the amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis.

Striosomes (a.k.a striatal "patches") were discovered by Candace Pert in 1976 based on mu opioid receptor autoradiography and Ann Graybiel in 1978 using acetylcholinesterase histochemistry.

External links

• Web site: Trafton . Anne . Study helps explain why motivation to learn declines with age . MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology . 2020-10-27 . 2020-10-29. Article on striosomes' role in age-related decline in learning.

Notes and References

1. Pert CB, Kuhar MJ, Snyder SH . Opiate receptor: autoradiographic localization in rat brain. . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. . 73 . 10 . 3792–33 . Oct 1976 . 185626 . 10.1073/pnas.73.10.3729 . 431193 . free .
2. Graybiel AM, Ragsdale CW Jr . Histochemically distinct compartments in the striatum of human, monkeys, and cat demonstrated by acetylthiocholinesterase staining . Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A . 75 . 11 . 5723–6 . Nov 1978 . 103101 . 10.1073/pnas.75.11.5723 . 393041. free .
3. Prensa L, Giménez-Amaya JM, Parent A . Chemical heterogeneity of the striosomal compartment in the human striatum. . J Comp Neurol . 413 . 4 . 603–18 . Nov 1999 . 10495446 . 10.1002/(SICI)1096-9861(19991101)413:4<603::AID-CNE9>3.0.CO;2-K . 25984372 .
4. Martin LJ, Blackstone CD, Huganir RL, Price DL . The striatal mosaic in primates: striosomes and matrix are differentially enriched in ionotropic glutamate receptor subunits. . J. Neurosci. . 13 . 2 . 782–92 . Feb 1993 . 7678861 . 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.13-02-00782.1993 . 6576641 . free .
5. O'Kusky JR, Nasir J, Cicchetti F, Parent A, Hayden MR . Neuronal degeneration in the basal ganglia and loss of pallido-subthalamic synapses in mice with targeted disruption of the Huntington's disease gene. . Brain Res. . 818 . 2 . 468–79 . Feb 1999 . 10082833 . 10.1016/S0006-8993(98)01312-2. 45823601 .
6. Tippett LJ, Waldvogel HJ, Thomas SJ, Hogg VM, van Roon-Mom W, Synek BJ, Graybiel AM, Faull RL . Striosomes and mood dysfunction in Huntington's disease. . Brain . 130 . 1 . 206–21 . Jan 2007 . 17040921 . 10.1093/brain/awl243. free .
7. Smith JB, Klug JR, Ross DL, Howard CD, Hollon NG, Ko VI, Hoffman H, Callaway EM, Gerfen CR, Jin X . Genetic-Based Dissection Unveils the Inputs and Outputs of Striatal Patch and Matrix Compartments. . Neuron. 91 . 5 . 1069–84 . Sep 2016 . 27568516. 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.07.046. 5017922 . free .