Basal Ganglia Flashcards
What are the components of the basal ganglia?
Caudate, putamen, globus pallidus, substantia innominata, subthalamic nucleus, substantia nigra, nucleus accumbens
What structures make up the striatum?
Caudate and putamen (CaPS)
What structures make up the lenticular nucleus?
Putamen and globus pallidus (GuLP)
What is another name for the nucleus accumbens?
Ventral striatum
What structures make up the dorsal basal nucleus?
Caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus
What structures make up the ventral striatum?
Nucleus acumbens and olfactory nucleus
What structures make up the ventral palladium?
Substantia innominata
What structures make up the paleostriatum?
Globus pallidus
What structures make up the striatal complex?
Caudate nucleus, putamen, nucleus acumbens, and olfactory tubercle
What structures make up the palladial complex?
Globus pallidus and substantia innominata
What is the basal ganglia circuit?
Cortex –> striatum –> output nuclei –> thalamus –> cortex
What is the caudate nucleus associated with?
Eye movement and cognition
What is the putamen associated with?
Lumb/trunk movements
What is the nucleus accumbens associated with?
Emotions
What is the globus pallidus associated with?
Limb and trunk control (putamen)
What is the ventral pallidum associated with?
Emotions (nucleus accumbens)
What is the substantia nigra associated with?
Cognition/eye movements (caudate nucleus)
What is the skeletomotor loop involved in?
Control of facial, limb, and trunk musculature
What is the oculomotor loop involved in?
Control of saccadic eye movement
What is the associative loop involved in?
Cognition and executive behavioral functions
What is the limbic loop involved in?
Behavior and emotions
How does the basal ganglia pathway work?
It is inhibitory by nature, so must “release” that inhibition to allow things to move
What is the classic triad seen in Parkinson’s disease?
Tremor (pill rolling, cogwheel rigidity, bradykinesia
What is the cause of Parkinson’s disease?
Degeneration of substantia nigra = decreased dopamine
What is Parkinsonian Syndrome?
Disease with similar symptomology can be caused by head trauma, MPTP (designer drug), CO poisoning, Wilson disease, etc
What is Huntington’s disease caused by (in brain)?
Degeneartion of neurons in striatum leading to decreased GABA = decreased inhibition of substantia nigra and dopamine release = too much dopamine = increased movement
What is ballismus?
Flailing, flinging movement of whole extremity. Can be related to stroke, inflammation, tumor, etc.
What is ballismus caused by?
Lesion in subthalamic nucleus causes contralateral symptoms
What is chorea?
Rapid, jerky, involuntary movements which are purposeless
What is acute rheumatic fever?
When sick pt has difficulty controlling movements (chorea) J - joints <3 - heart N - nodules E - erythema marginatum (rash) S - Syndenham's chorea
What is athetosis?
Inability to keep a body part from moving, is writhing and snake-like. Often seen with chorea. Seen with dopamine-blocking drugs
What is writer’s cramp?
A type of focal dystonia, persistence/fixing of posture at the extreme of a movement of extremities or trunk. Involuntary, sustained muscle contracture
