The striatum (also known as the neostriatum or striate nucleus) contains the caudate nucleus and putamen, which are separated from one another by a white matter tract called the internal capsule. The striatum is part of the basal ganglia and receives input from the cerebral cortex. Essentially all cortical areas (sensory, motor and associational) project to the striatum. The other major input to the striatum comes from the thalamus, particularly the intralaminar thalamic nuclei.