Basal Ganglia

Question 1

What makes up the extrapyramidal system?

Answer 1

Cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, dorsal thalamus

Question 2

What does the extrapyramidal system do?

Answer 2

Initiate movement

Question 3

What is included in the basal ganglia?

Answer 3

Cerebral cortex, caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus, thalami, subthalami, susbtantia nigra

Question 4

What are the 2 divisions of the substantia nigra?

Answer 4

Pars reticularis and Pars compacta

Question 5

What does the pars reticularis do?

Answer 5

Sends efferent neurons that release GABA and serotonin

- Does not contain melanin

Question 6

What does the pars compacta do?

Answer 6

Neurons contain melanin and dopamine

Question 7

What part of the susbtantia nigra degenerates with Parkinson’s disease?

Answer 7

Pars compacta

Question 8

What are the motor nuclei of the thalamus?

Answer 8

Ventral anterior and ventral lateral (VA and VL)

Question 9

What all degenerates with Parkinson’s?

Answer 9

Substantia nigra, globus pallidus, upper brainstem

Question 10

What are the symptoms of Parkinson’s?

Answer 10

Bradykinesia, tremor during rest, rigidity, masked face and glabellar reflex, postural embarrassment

Question 11

What causes Huntington’s Chorea?

Answer 11

Loss of inhibition from GABAnergic neurons or degeneration of the corpus striatum/cerebral cortex

Question 12

What is the pathway of inheritance for Huntington’s Chorea?

Answer 12

Autosomal Dominant

Question 13

What are the symptoms of Huntington’s Chorea?

Answer 13

Dementia, behavioral disturbances, chorea

Question 14

What is chorea?

Answer 14

Sudden, irregular, jerky and purposeless movements

Question 15

What are the symptoms of hemiballism?

Answer 15

CONTRALATERAL wild, violent, flailing of UE and LE

Question 16

What can cause hemiballism?

Answer 16

Unilateral lesions of subthalamus

Loss of glutamate inhibition upon globus pallidus

Question 17

What is Athetosis?

Answer 17

Slow, involuntary, writhing movements of limbs and face

Question 18

What causes Athetosis?

Answer 18

Degeneration of striatum

Question 19

What is hemichorea?

Answer 19

Unilateral chorea movements

Question 20

What causes hemichorea?

Answer 20

Vascular lesion in basal ganglia

Question 21

What are the functions of the basal ganglia?

Answer 21

To start, stop or modulate movement

Question 22

What is the function of the direct pathway?

Answer 22

Increase motor activity

Question 23

What is the function of the indirect pathway?

Answer 23

Decrease unwanted motor activity

Question 24

What is the purpose of the nigrostriatal pathway?

Answer 24

Modulation of direct/indirect pathways

Question 25

What effect do nigrostriatal fibers have and if destroyed what occurs?

Answer 25

Excitatory - Parkinson’s

Question 26

What effect to striatonigral fibers have and if destroyed what occurs?

Answer 26

GABAnergic (inhibitory) - Huntingtons Chorea