Basal Ganglia

Question 1

What are the components of the basal ganglia?

Answer 1

Caudate, putamen, globus pallidus, substantia innominata, subthalamic nucleus, substantia nigra, nucleus accumbens

Question 2

What structures make up the striatum?

Answer 2

Caudate and putamen (CaPS)

Question 3

What structures make up the lenticular nucleus?

Answer 3

Putamen and globus pallidus (GuLP)

Question 4

What is another name for the nucleus accumbens?

Answer 4

Ventral striatum

Question 5

What structures make up the dorsal basal nucleus?

Answer 5

Caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus

Question 6

What structures make up the ventral striatum?

Answer 6

Nucleus acumbens and olfactory nucleus

Question 7

What structures make up the ventral palladium?

Answer 7

Substantia innominata

Question 8

What structures make up the paleostriatum?

Answer 8

Globus pallidus

Question 9

What structures make up the striatal complex?

Answer 9

Caudate nucleus, putamen, nucleus acumbens, and olfactory tubercle

Question 10

What structures make up the palladial complex?

Answer 10

Globus pallidus and substantia innominata

Question 11

What is the basal ganglia circuit?

Answer 11

Cortex –> striatum –> output nuclei –> thalamus –> cortex

Question 12

What is the caudate nucleus associated with?

Answer 12

Eye movement and cognition

Question 13

What is the putamen associated with?

Answer 13

Lumb/trunk movements

Question 14

What is the nucleus accumbens associated with?

Answer 14

Emotions

Question 15

What is the globus pallidus associated with?

Answer 15

Limb and trunk control (putamen)

Question 16

What is the ventral pallidum associated with?

Answer 16

Emotions (nucleus accumbens)

Question 17

What is the substantia nigra associated with?

Answer 17

Cognition/eye movements (caudate nucleus)

Question 18

What is the skeletomotor loop involved in?

Answer 18

Control of facial, limb, and trunk musculature

Question 19

What is the oculomotor loop involved in?

Answer 19

Control of saccadic eye movement

Question 20

What is the associative loop involved in?

Answer 20

Cognition and executive behavioral functions

Question 21

What is the limbic loop involved in?

Answer 21

Behavior and emotions

Question 22

How does the basal ganglia pathway work?

Answer 22

It is inhibitory by nature, so must “release” that inhibition to allow things to move

Question 23

What is the classic triad seen in Parkinson’s disease?

Answer 23

Tremor (pill rolling, cogwheel rigidity, bradykinesia

Question 24

What is the cause of Parkinson’s disease?

Answer 24

Degeneration of substantia nigra = decreased dopamine

Question 25

What is Parkinsonian Syndrome?

Answer 25

Disease with similar symptomology can be caused by head trauma, MPTP (designer drug), CO poisoning, Wilson disease, etc

Question 26

What is Huntington’s disease caused by (in brain)?

Answer 26

Degeneartion of neurons in striatum leading to decreased GABA = decreased inhibition of substantia nigra and dopamine release = too much dopamine = increased movement

Question 27

What is ballismus?

Answer 27

Flailing, flinging movement of whole extremity. Can be related to stroke, inflammation, tumor, etc.

Question 28

What is ballismus caused by?

Answer 28

Lesion in subthalamic nucleus causes contralateral symptoms

Question 29

What is chorea?

Answer 29

Rapid, jerky, involuntary movements which are purposeless

Question 30

What is acute rheumatic fever?

Answer 30

When sick pt has difficulty controlling movements (chorea)
J - joints
<3 - heart
N - nodules
E - erythema marginatum (rash)
S - Syndenham's chorea

Question 31

What is athetosis?

Answer 31

Inability to keep a body part from moving, is writhing and snake-like. Often seen with chorea. Seen with dopamine-blocking drugs

Question 32

What is writer’s cramp?

Answer 32

A type of focal dystonia, persistence/fixing of posture at the extreme of a movement of extremities or trunk. Involuntary, sustained muscle contracture