Anatomy of the Basal Ganglia and Limbic system and Neuroimaging

Question 1

what are the main components of the basal ganglia?

Answer 1

caudate nucleus
putamen
globus pallidus

Question 2

what is the neostriatum/striatum made up of?

Answer 2

caudate nucleus and putamen-

they are functionally linked

Question 3

what is the lentiform nucleus?

Answer 3

the collective name for the putamen and globes pallidus-they are anatomically linked

Question 4

what are the main functions of the basal ganglia?

Answer 4

movement, posture and muscle tone

Question 5

which part of the basal ganglia forms the wall of the lateral ventricle?

Answer 5

the caudate nucleus

Question 6

what is the internal capsule?

Answer 6

a dense sheet of white matter between the caudate nucleus and the other basal ganglia nuclei. it is made up of projection fibres which are important for sending information to and from the cortex

Question 7

where is the globes pallidus found?

Answer 7

on the inner surface of the putamen

Question 8

what are the parts of the globes pallidus?

Answer 8

globus pallidus externus and the globus pallidus internus

Question 9

what separates the globes pallidus externes and the putamen?

Answer 9

lateral medullary lamina

Question 10

what separates the globes pallidus externus and globes pallidus internus?

Answer 10

the medial medullary lamina

Question 11

what are the 2 parts of the substantia nigra?

Answer 11

pars compact and pars reticulata

Question 12

what is the blood supply of the internal capsule and basal ganglia?

Answer 12

lenticostriate arteries which arise from the middle cerebral artery

Question 13

what is the function of the motor loops of the basal ganglia?

Answer 13

they facilitate appropriate and required movements and inhibit inappropriate movements

Question 14

what effect do neurones from the globus pallidus internus and substantia nigra pars reticulata have on the thalamus?

Answer 14

inhibitory

Question 15

what happens to the motor loops in Huntington’s disease?

Answer 15

there is attrition of neurones that project to the G.P internus, which results in it not being inhibited so the sub thalamic nucleus is inhibited and unwanted movements can occur

Question 16

what is the function of the limbic system?

Answer 16

emotions
motivational behaviour
learning and memory

Question 17

what are the input nuclei of the basal ganglia?

Answer 17

caudate nucleus and putamen (striatum)

Question 18

what are the intrinsic nuclei of the basal ganglia?

Answer 18

globus pallidus externus
sub thalamic nucleus
substantia nigra pars compacta

Question 19

what are the output nuclei of the basal ganglia?

Answer 19

globus pallidus internus

substantia nigra pars reticulata

Question 20

what are some the key structures of the limbic system?

Answer 20

hippocampus
hypothalamus
amygdala
thalamus

Question 21

what is the fornix?

Answer 21

links the hippocampus to the mammillary body of the hypothalamus

Question 22

which structures for the lateral wall of the third ventricle?

Answer 22

the thalamus and hypothalamus

Question 23

where is the amygdala found?

Answer 23

in the temporal lobe between the inferior hormone of the lateral ventricle and the lentiform nucleus

Question 24

which type of memory is the hippocampus involved in?

Answer 24

declarative memory

Question 25

how is information sent from the association cortices to the limbic system?

Answer 25

the parahippocampal gyrus

Question 26

what is a PET scan?

Answer 26

positron emission tomography
a radioactive tracer is injected into the patient and accumulates in tissue, this gives off photons which are detected and used to produce an image

Question 27

what is a SPECT scan?

Answer 27

radioactive tracer injected I.V, tracer taken up in brain and emits gamma radiation which is picked up and used to produce an image