Anatomy of the Basal Ganglia Flashcards
What are the basal ganglia?
large interconnected nuclear masses (grey matter) located deep within:
1. Cerebral hemispheres
2. Diencephalon
3. Mid brain
What is the function of basal ganglia?
They play an important role in the control of posture and voluntary movement
Abnormalities of the basal ganglia result in what conditions?
- Parkinson’s disease
- Huntington disease
Name the group of nuclei of the basal ganglia?
- Corpus striatum (in the cerebral hemispheres)
- Subthalamic nucleus (in the Diencephalon)
- Substantia nigra (in the Mid brain)
Describe the structure of the corpus striatum?
Subdivided by internal capsule into two nuclei:
1. Caudate nucleus – in the wall of lateral ventricles
2. Lentiform nucleus
Describe the caudate nucleus?
- Large C-shaped or comma-shaped mass of grey matter.
- Lies in close relation to lateral ventricle.
- It has a Head, Body, and Tail
Describe the parts of the caudate nucleus?
- Head :(Anterior) Large, & rounded and forms the lateral wall of anterior horn of lateral ventricle.
- It is continuous inferiorly with putamen of lentiform Nucleus. - Body : Long & narrow continuous with head at the interventricular foramen
- It forms part of the floor of body of lateral ventricle. - Tail : Long & narrow, and lies in the roof of inferior horn of lateral ventricle.
- It is connected anteriorly with Amygdaloid nucleus
Describe the lentiform nucleus?
- wedge shaped/ lens shaped
- It is a mass of grey matter wedge-shaped or (biconvex lens).
- It has 2 capsules, external capsule laterally & internal capsule medially.
> Internal capsule separates between lentiform nucleus laterally & caudate nucleus and thalamus medially.
> External capsule separates between lentiform nucleus and Claustrum. - Inferiorly putamen is continuous with the head of caudate nucleus
Name and describe the segments of the lentiform nucleus?
- The Putamen - Larger darker lateral portion. located laterally between external capsule and globus pallidus
- The Globus pallidus – Smaller, lighter medial portion: located btween putamen and internal capsule.
- Further subdivided into :
> Lateral segment (outer)
> Medial segment (inner)
What is the amygdaloid nucleus?
- Almond-shaped small mass of grey matter lies in temporal lobe close to the Uncus.
- Lies Anterosuperior to inferior horn of lateral ventricle.
- It is connected to the tail of caudate nucleus.
- It is the smell center & part of limbic system
What is the claustrum?
Thin sheet of gray matter which lies lateral to external capsule & medial to the Insula
What is the subthalamic nucleus?
- Large nucleus in the subthalamus
- Located ventral to the thalamus
- Wedge shaped division of the diencephalon
Name the 3 nuclei contained in the subthalamic nucleus?
- Zona incerta- dorsolaterally
- Prerubral field –dorso medially
- Subthalamic nucleus - ventrally
What is the sustantia nigra?
Largest nucleus in the midbrain
What are the 2 parts of the sustantia nigra?
- Compact part – dorsal
- Contains neurones filled with melanin (dopaminergic neurons) - Reticular part - ventrally