Basal Ganglia in Action with Dr. Henry Yin

The basal ganglia have been implicated in diverse motor and cognitive functions, but there is still no model that can explain the full range of their contributions to behavior. I will describe recent results that challenge traditional assumptions in the field and describe a new model of the basal ganglia based on the principles of hierarchical control. According to this model, the cerebral cortex and basal ganglia implement transition control, in particular the rate of change in various perceptual configurations.
The basal ganglia outputs, in turn, adjust the reference signals of position controllers in the midbrain and brainstem. This model can explain a rich variety of experimental findings and clinical symptoms.

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NJACE is funded in part by the New Jersey Governor’s Council for the Medical Research and Treatments of Autism and by the NJ DOH

The views expressed herein may not necessarily reflect the views of the NJACE or our partners, the Governor's Council for Medical Research and Treatments in Autism, the New Jersey Department of Health, and Children's Specialized Hospital.

The mission of the NJACE is to educate society about the neurobiology of autism, and autistic people‘s unmet needs across their lifespan. We do this by listening to the perspectives of autistic people, their parents and families, clinicians from interdisciplinary fields, and researchers from various fields including psychology, genetics, engineering, and computer science. We hope to build an all-inclusive community, which embraces autistic people as valued members of our society.