A well-accepted idea in systems neuroscience is that different types of memories are stored in specific brain regions or networks. Within this framework, the dorsal striatum is believed to play a critical role in learning and recalling/selecting adaptive actions, also referred to as procedural skills. Although many studies support this view, it is not without experimental paradoxes—such as the surprisingly modest memory or decisional impairments following lesion/inactivation of the basal ganglia output nuclei. Additionally, the strong influence of sensorimotor cortical dynamics over striatal activity suggests that action selection might involve extended cortical and subcortical networks, raising the question of the specific contribution of the dorsal striatum. In my talk, I will present work from our team (and others) supporting the view that the dorsal striatum’s contribution to action selection may be derived from its involvement in the motivational underpinnings of reward-oriented behaviors, and more specifically, the tendency of animals to minimize time and effort. I will discuss how such a motivational function could be relevant to understanding brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and depression.