Basal Ganglia Flashcards
Functions of basal ganglia/nuclei
- influence muscle movements
- regulate intensity of slow or stereotyped movements
- filter out incorrect/inappropriate responses
- inhibit unnecessary movements
- habit formation
- cognition and emotion
Basal ganglia structures
- caudate
- putamen
- globus pallidus
- subthalamic nuclei
- substantia nigra
Basal ganglia input
Input from cerebral cortex
Basal ganglia output
Output to frontal lobes via thalamus and to brainstem
Caudate nucleus functions
- execution of movement (voluntary skeletal movement)
- learning and memory
- reward
- motivation and emotion
- romantic interaction
Caudate nucleus input
- cortex
- substantia nigra
Caudate nucleus output
- globus pallidus
- substantia nigra
- thalamus
- hippocampus
Caudate nucleus damage
- parkinson’s
- huntington’s
- dementia
- ADHD
- bipolar disorder
- OCD
- Schizophrenia
Parkinson’s disease
Causes unintended or uncontrollable movements such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination
Parkinson’s disease caused by
Death of dopamine neurons in the striatum; build up of lewy bodies (clumps of alpha synuclein)
Parkinson’s disease symptoms
- tremors
- muscle stiffness
- slowness of movement
- impaired balance
Parkinson’s disease treatment
L-DOPA
Huntington’s disease
Inherited condition involving death of neurons in the basal ganglia
Huntington’s disease symptoms
- Mood and/or mental abilities
- swallowing issues
- lack of coordination/gait
- chorea (hyperkinetic movements)
- dementia
Huntington’s disease treatment
Tetrabenazine
Putamen functions
- regulation of movement (preparation and execution)
- learning (hate circuit)
- gender identity
Putamen input
- cortex
- substantia nigra