Principal Investigator Ann Graybiel
Professor Graybiel and her lab study the basal ganglia, forebrain structures that have profound importance for normal brain function and that are implicated in Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease and obsessivecompulsive disorder, and in addictive states. Graybiel’s work is uncovering neural deficits related to these disorders, as well as links between disease states and the functions of the basal ganglia in guiding normal behavior.
The basal ganglia are best known for their control of movement. Parkinson’s disease, for example, which impairs movement and speech, results from the degeneration of neurons that release the neurotransmitter dopamine within the striatum, the largest part of the basal ganglia. It is becoming clear, however, that these structures do more than just control movement. They have been implicated in psychiatric diseases and addictive states, and damage to the basal ganglia can affect not only movement but also mood and cognition. Graybiel believes that this broad range of functions reflects the capacity of the basal ganglia to influence how we select actions, whether motor actions or actions of thought.