basal ganglia Flashcards
what are basal ganglia involved in?
the pathways and centres that are involved in movement
where do signals originate?
in the cerebral cortex
what is involved in modulating the signals from the cortex?
a variety of subcortical structures such as the basal nuclei
what are LMNs?
they are nerve cells whose axons will link the CNS to the muscle
what influences the activity of LMNs in descending pathways?
UMNs
what are the control centres that regulate the activity of descending pathways?
the cerebellum and the basal ganglia
what does the cortex do?
it sens instructions for movement: this can be direct to SC through the cortical spinal tracts, by UMNs - LMNs in SC, the corticonuclear tract to the cranial nuclei, or the extrapyramidal tract in brainstem for movement at level of SC
what is the cerebellum for?
coordination, synergy and fine tuning
what are the BG for?
cessation of movement, control and normal initiation - is the movement appropriate
where do all information get relayed through?
the thalamus
what is the course of information from the thalamus to the response?
the motor regions of the cortex will send information to the BG and the cerebellum. The cerebellum will adjust for coordination etc and then either relay back to the thalamus, or to the brainstem. The basal ganglia relays information back to the thalamus. From the thalamus the information travels to the motor regions of the cortex again,and then if appropriate the information from cerebellum and BG goes to the brainstem or SC depending on the pathway. This will result in a motor response in muscles. This then feeds back to sensory receptors which will then give sensory feedback from the muscle to the SC and back to thalamus and brainstem.
what is the primary function of the BG nuclei?
it acts to provide feedback mechanism to the cortex for initiation, control and cessation of motor response for movement - modulation of voluntary motor activity
what do the BG do?
they receive and interpret information on the plan and sequence of movement from the cortex
once they have received the information what do the BG do?
they relay the decision to move through the thalamus - they either excite cerebral cortex to facilitate wanted movement or dampen it to inhibit the unwanted movement
what does lesions of the BG result in?
dykinesia - abnormal, involuntary movements that are hypo or hyperkinetic
what will be the result on a structure of an inhibitory neuron acting on an inhibitor of the structure?
disinhibition - the structure stays active
what are the anatomical basal ganglia?
they are the masses of grey matter in the forebrain that are closely related anatomically and embryologically but are functionally different
what is the lentiform nucleus made of?
the putamen and the globus pallidus
what is the C shaped nucleus?
the caudate nucleus
what is the amygdala?
it is the almond shaped nucleus of which we are unsure of the function that is in the limbic system for emotion
what is the structure near the amygdala of which we are unsure of the function? - it is grey matter
the claustrum
what do all the nuclei of the BG do?
they all function to coordinate movement for connections
what are the divisions of the BG?
the BG split into the corpus striatum and the amygdala. The corpus striatum then splits into the neostriatum known as the striatum and the paleostriatum - the paleostriatum gives rise to the globus pallidus and the neo to the caudate nucleus and the putamen. The putamen and the globus pallidus form the lentiform nucleus
what are the functional basal ganglia?
they may not be anatomically related but function as a group
which parts develop later in development?
the globus pallidus
which three parts all function as one?
the GP, the putamem and the caudate
where is the corpus striatum?
in the telencephalon of the brain
how many parts are there of the GP?
there are two portions that are functionally different
which part will stain dark and has two parts?
the substantia nigra
what structure is in the diencephalon?
the subthalamic nucleus
where are the fie structures?
3 in the forebrain, one in the midbrain and one in the diencephalon
what are the two portions of the GP?
the internus (GPi) and the externus (GPe)