4. Movement Disorders- Basal Ganglia

Question 1

Hyperkinetic disorders

Answer 1

facilitated cortex or over-excited
Huntington’s Chorea
Tourette’s syndrome
Dystonia – generalized and focal

Question 2

Hypokinetic disorders

Answer 2

under-facilitated cortex or under-excited

PD

Question 3

Basal ganglia contents

Answer 3

Caudate nucleus
globus pallidus
substantia nigra

Question 4

Basal ganglia and descending tracts

Answer 4

Basal ganglia does not directly affect the descending tracts, basal ganglia  thalamus  cortex  descending tracts

Question 5

Striatum

Answer 5

caudate and putamen functioning together

Question 6

SNc

Answer 6

Substantia nigra pars compacta
Parkinsons disease
dopamine

Question 7

SNr

Answer 7

Substantia nigra pars reticulata

Huntingtons

Question 8

Huntingtons

Answer 8

degeneration of neurons in SNr and LGP

thalamus inhibits cortex less, cortex in overdrive

Question 9

Huntingtons Symptoms

Answer 9

involuntary small amplitude rapid movements
chorea
akinesia and bradykinesia
hypotonia
wide, staggering gait
cognitive problems

Question 10

Tourettes symptoms

Answer 10

Impulsions and compulsions to perform fragments of motor programs

Question 11

Tourettes

Answer 11

disturbance to limbic system

bad limbic = no inhibition of SNc = cortex in overdrive

Question 12

Dystonia

Answer 12

sustained muscle contraction in extreme end of range, freq w rotation

Question 13

Dystonia-focal

Answer 13

damage to GP/ptuamen = less inhibition of thalamus = overfacilitation
most often toricolis

Question 14

Common focal dystonias

Answer 14

torticolis
Vocal cords
Tongue & swallowing muscles
Facial muscles including eye
Hand
Toes
Writer’s cramp

Question 15

PD

Answer 15

Thalamus is extra inhibited  thalamus provides less facilitation to cortex  hypokinetic
Substantia nigra pars compacta is responsible for dopamine  less facilitation causes degeneration and therefore less dopamine to be released
When PD patients take their medications, there is often a flood of dopamine to the system causing hyperactive chorea like movements