basal ganglia

Examples of basal ganglia in the following topics:

• Basal Ganglia

  • One of the most intensively studied functions of the basal ganglia (BG) is its role in controlling precise eye movements.
  • The basal ganglia (or basal nuclei, ) are a group of nuclei of varied origin in the brains of vertebrates that act as a cohesive functional unit.
  • The basal ganglia play a central role in a number of neurological conditions, including several movement disorders.
  • Two schematic drawings of coronal sections of human brain labelling the basal ganglia.
  • The basal nuclei are often referred to as the basal ganglia.

• Disorders of the Basal Ganglia

  • Basal ganglia disease refers to physical dysfunctions that occur when basal ganglia fail to suppress unwanted movements.
  • An example of a hypokinetic basal ganglia disease is Parkinsonism.
  • An example of a hyperkinetic basal ganglia disease is Huntington's Disease.
  • The basal ganglia is a collective group of structures in the brain .
  • This is a diagram of the main circuits of the basal ganglia.

• The Role of the Basal Ganglia in Movement

  • The basal ganglia (or basal nuclei) are a group of nuclei of varied origin in the brains of vertebrates that act as a cohesive functional unit.
  • Currently popular theories hold that the basal ganglia play a primary role in action selection.
  • One of the most intensively studied functions of the basal ganglia is their role in controlling eye movements.
  • This diagram shows the main circuits of the basal ganglia.
  • Two coronal slices have been superimposed to include the involved basal ganglia structures.

• Epithalamus and Pineal Gland

  • It is wired with the limbic system and basal ganglia.

• Clusters of Neuronal Cell Bodies

  • One exception is the basal ganglia which are located not in the periphery but rather in the forebrain.
  • Ganglia are composed mainly of neuron cell bodies (somata) and dendritic structures.
  • Satellite glial cells (SGCs) also surround neuron cell bodies within ganglia.
  • SGCs have been found to hold a variety of roles, including control over the microenvironment of sympathetic ganglia.
  • Satellite glial cells are expressed throughout the sympathetic and parasympathetic ganglia in their respective nervous system divisions.

• Motor Areas

  • Buried deep in the white matter of the cerebral cortex are interconnected subcortical masses of cerebral gray matter called basal nuclei (or basal ganglia) that are involved in motor control.
  • The basal nuclei receive input from the substantia nigra of the midbrain and motor areas of the cerebral cortex and send signals back to both of these locations.

• Midbrain

  • The tegmentum is involved in many unconscious homeostatic and reflexive pathways, and is the motor center that relays inhibitory signals to the thalamus and basal nuclei to prevent unwanted body movement.
  • The substantia nigra is closely associated with motor system pathways of the basal ganglia.

• Sympathetic Nervous System

  • Sympathetic ganglia are the ganglia of the sympathetic nervous system that initiate "fight-or-flight" or stress-mediated responses.
  • Sympathetic ganglia are the ganglia of the sympathetic nervous system (see , red fibers).
  • The bilaterally symmetric sympathetic chain ganglia, also called the paravertebral ganglia, are located just ventral and lateral to the spinal cord.
  • Neurons of the collateral ganglia, also called the prevertebral ganglia, receive input from the splanchnic nerves and innervate organs of the abdominal and pelvic region.
  • These include the celiac ganglia, superior mesenteric ganglia, and inferior mesenteric ganglia.

• Autonomic Ganglia

  • The two main categories are: sympathetic ganglia and parasympathetic ganglia.
  • Sympathetic ganglia are the ganglia of the sympathetic nervous system.
  • These include the celiac ganglia, superior mesenteric ganglia, and inferior mesenteric ganglia.
  • Parasympathetic ganglia are the autonomic ganglia of the parasympathetic nervous system.
  • Most are small terminal ganglia or intramural ganglia, so named because they lie near or within (respectively) the organs they innervate.

• Parasympathetic (Craniosacral) Division

  • Parasympathetic ganglia are the autonomic ganglia of the parasympathetic nervous system which lie near or within the organs they innervate.
  • Parasympathetic ganglia are the autonomic ganglia of the parasympathetic nervous system, blue fibers).
  • Most are small terminal ganglia or intramural ganglia, so named because they lie near or within (respectively) the organs they innervate.
  • The exceptions are the four paired parasympathetic ganglia of the head and neck (shown in ).
  • Some ganglia also carry special sensory fibers (special visceral afferent) for taste sensation.