The neural bases of motor syntaxes

The coordination and sequencing of motor behavior, from basic movements to linguistic utterances, is critical for the survival of particular species. When organisms engage with the environment, the ordering and timing of their motor output is guided by sensory input, internal representations and motivational state. Previous work has provided strong evidence for the involvement of the basal ganglia and more specifically of the striatum in the organization of motor output in vertebrates. In this talk, I will review the evidence involving the basal ganglia in the selection and production of action sequences in vertebrates with examples from birdsong, grooming in rodents, and movement and language production in humans. I will also describe the challenges facing the field and provide some directions for future research.