BASAL

GANGLIA.

DR NILESH KATE
MBBS,MD
ASSOCIATE PROF
DEPT. OF PHYSIOLOGY
 OBJECTIVES
 Physiological  Disorders of basal
anatomy. ganglia.
 Components.  Parkinson’s disease.
 Corpus striatum.  Chorea & athetosis.
 Connections.  Huntington’s disease.
 Functional neuronal  Wilson’s disease.
circuits.  Kernicterus.
 Functions of basal
ganglia.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Physiological Anatomy.
Components.
 Basal Ganglia ------ Group of
nuclei (mass of grey matter) in
the forebrain and
 upper part of the brain stem
that have motor function of
great importance --
Head ganglia of Motor control.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 FIVE GREY NUCLEAR MASSES
At the base of the cerebral hemispheres.
 Caudate nucleus
 Putamen (corpus striatum)
 Globus pallidus
 Substantia nigra
 Sub-thalamic body of Luys
 Red nucleus

Friday, March 4, 2016

 CORPUS STRIATUM.
 Subcortical masses of
grey matter situated in
white core
 Divided into 2 parts by
internal capsule.
 Caudate nucleus
 Lenticular nucleus.
 Putamen
 Globus pallidus.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Salient Features of Nuclei of
Corpus Striatum.
 Caudate nucleus.
 Highly curved, comma
shaped band of grey
matter.
 Consists of Head, body
& Tail
 Separated from
lenticular nucleus by
internal capsule

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Lenticular Nucleus.
 Biconvex lens.
 Triangular in both
coronal & horizontal
sections.
 Divided into 2 parts by
external lamina of
white matter.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Putamen
 Outer part of
lenticular nucleus.
 Dark in colour
 Quadrangular in
shape.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Globus Pallidus.
 Inner smaller part.
 Paler.
 Divided into 2 parts
 External segment.
 Internal segment.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Sub Thalamic Nucleus.
 Biconvex mass of grey
matter lateral to red
nucleus & dorsal to
substantia nigra.
 Separated from
thalamus by Zona
inserta.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Substantia Nigra.
 Made up of small unpigmented &
large pigmented nerve cells.
 Contains neuromelanin.
 Divided into 2 parts
 Pars compacta – contains
dopaminergic (75%) & cholinergic
(25%) neurons.
 Pars reticularis contains GABA
ergic neurons.
Friday, March 4, 2016
 Connections.
 Main input – Corpus Striatum ( Caudate
Nucleus & Putamen)
 Main Output – Globus Pallidus.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Afferent or Inputs to Striatum.
 Corticostriate projections. – Glutamatergic.
 Thalamostriate fibre. – from Centromedian N
 Nigrostriate fibres.– Pars Compacta
(Dopaminergic)
 Raphe striate fibres. – Raphe N. in reticular
formation (Serotoninergic)
 Locus Coeruleus striate fibres. (Noradrenergic)

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Projections from striatum.
 Striatum to Globus  Striatum to
pallidus. – GABAergic Substantia Nigra. –to
inhibitory projections. Pars Reticulata
(GABA-ergic inhibitary
impulses)

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Efferents or output from
Globus Pallidus.
 Thalamus– thalamic  Substantia nigra.
Fasiculus or Ansa
 3 routes
Fasicularis – to VA, VL and
 Directly.
centromedian N.– to
 Via Subthalamic N.
Prefrontal & Premotor
 Via Pedunculopontine
cortex.
N.
 Subthalamic nuclei – to
Substantia Nigra.
 Red nucleus – rubrospinal
tract pathway.
Friday, March 4, 2016
 Connections of Basal Ganglia.

Friday, March 4, 2016

Friday, March 4, 2016
Functional neuronal circuits or
loops.

 Corpus striatum does not have direct

connections to spinal cord.
 GPi & SNpr behaves as a lateral & medial part
of single functional unit.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Primary feedback loop or cortex
basal ganglia motor cortex circuit.
Cerebral cortex Supplementary motor
(all parts) cortex

Striatum Thalamus

Globus Pallidus &

Substantia Nigra
Provide Negative Feedback Loop to Control Motor Cortex
Activity
Friday, March 4, 2016
 Caudate Loop
Supplementary motor area & motor sensory area.

Caudate Nucleus.

GPi SNPr
Caudal part caudal part

VL (Thalamus) Pars VL Oralis VL(Thalamus) Pars Medialis

FUNCTION – Cognitive Control Of Motor Activity
-- Control Of EYE Movements
Friday, March 4, 2016
 Putamen loop
Frontal Association Area.

Putamen Nucleus.

Gpi SNPr

VA (thalamus) VA (thalamus)
Parvocellular Magnocellular.

FUNCTION – For Motor Control Of Body Movements

Friday, March 4, 2016
 Additional feedback loop.
Indirect Pathway via subthalamic N.

Cortex
Supplementary Motor Cortex

Striatum

Thalamus
GPe
GPi SNPr

Subthalamic Nucleus
Friday, March 4, 2016
 Indirect Pathway Involving
Pars Compacta.

Cortex Supplementary
Motor Cortex.

Ach D2 Dopamine
Striatum
Ach D1 Dopamine Thalamus

SNPc
GPi SNPr
Friday, March 4, 2016
Friday, March 4, 2016
 Functions of basal ganglia.
 Control of voluntary motor activity.
 Control of reflex muscular activity.
 Control of muscle tone.
 Role in arousal mechanism.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Control of voluntary motor
activity.
 Cognitive control of
motor activity.
 Neural discharge in
Basal Ganglia begins
well before the
movement begins.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Control of voluntary motor
activity.
 Most of the motor actions
occur as a consequence of
thought process in mind.
 So basal ganglia is involved
in planning &
programming of
movements.
 It is executed through
functional neuronal
circuits.
Friday, March 4, 2016
Timing & scaling of intensity of
movements.
 How rapidly & how
much large the
movement should be.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Subconscious execution of
some movements.
 Swinging of arm while
walking.
 Pathway- Putamen
feedback circuits.
 Crude movements of
facial expressions with
emotions.
 Movements of limbs
while swimming.
 Importance – cortex can
be free to plan its
actions.
Friday, March 4, 2016
 Control of reflex muscular
activity.
 Inhibitory effect on
spinal reflexes.
 Regulate muscle
which maintains
posture.
 Mainly visual &
Labyrinthine reflexes.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Control of muscle tone.
 Substantia Nigra of Basal
Ganglia control γ motor
neuron which maintain
muscle tone.
 Pathway – cortical inhibitory
area- striatum-pallidum-
substantia nigra-reticular
formation- spinal cord.
 Lesion – Lead pipe type
Rigidity in Parkinsonism.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Role in arousal mechanism.
 By connections of
Globus Pallidus & Red
Nucleus with Reticular
Formation.
 Lesion – drowsiness ,
sleep.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Disorders of Basal Ganglia.
 Parkinson’s disease.
 Chorea.
 Athetosis.
 Huntington’s disease.
 Hemiballism.
 Wilson’s disease.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Parkinson’s disease
 Paralysis agitans or
shaking palsy.
 Described by James
Parkinson in 1817.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Aetiopathogenesis.
 Primary idiopathic  Secondary causes-
condition. Parkinsonism nigra.
 In elderly due to  Viral Encephalitis.
Idiopathic  Cerebral Arteriosclerosis.
degeneration of  Drugs – Phenothiazines.
Nigrostriatal system
of Dopaminergic
 Experimentally by
Neurons. injecting MPTP (methyl-
phenyl-tetrahydro-
pyridine)
Friday, March 4, 2016
 Pathogenesis.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Clinical features.
Akinesia or Hypokinesia.
 Unable to initiate
voluntary movements
or decreased
movements.
 Causes – Due to
Hypertonicity of
Muscle.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Clinical features
 C/F – Bradykinesia,
mask like face,
prolonged reaction
time,
 Absent associated
movements.
 Shuffling or
Festinant type gait.
 Retropulsion.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Rigidity
 Increased tone in the muscle.  C/F – lead pipe & cog-
 Cause – increase discharge of wheel type rigidity.
γ Efferents to muscle spindle.  Hypertone in
 Mechanism – striatum under
protagonists &
influence of both
Ach(excitatory) & Dopa antagonists muscle.
(Inhibitory)  Statue like appearance.
 Degeneration of neurons of  Posture – flexion
SN – less Dopa & more Ach attitude.
activity – hyperkinetic
features.
Friday, March 4, 2016
 Tremors
 Involuntary rhythmic  Neural mechanism.
oscillatory movements of
distal parts of limb & head.
 Due to pacemaker
activity in nucleus
 Resting tremors.
ventralis intermedius of
 Absent at sleep & increased
by stress & excitement. thalamus.
 4-6 times/sec.
 Frill rolling movements.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Treatment.
 L-Dopa  Surgical Destruction.
 As it crosses BBB.  Of Globus Pallidus or
 With Carbidopa as it VLN of thalamus.
prevents its conversion
to dopamine in liver.
 Low dose – reduces
rigidity & high dose
reduces tremors.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Chorea.
 Rapid , jerky
involuntary
movements (dancing)
 Due to damage to
caudate N.
 Seen in children as a
complication of
Rheumatic fever.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Athetosis.
 Slow, rhythmic, twisting,
worm like , confluent
writhing movements of
the extremities
 Mainly fingers & wrist.
 Due to damage to
Putamen.
 Seen in children after
birth injuries.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Huntington’s disease.
 Genetic disease.  Lesion – damage to
 Trinucleotide repeat GABAergic & cholinergic
expansion. neurons of striatum to
pallidum.
 Autosomal Dominant
 Hyperkinetic features.
disorder.
 C/F – hyperkinetic
 30-50 yrs of age.
 Abnormal gene at chreiform movements,
short arm of chr-4. Slurred speech, dementia,
jerky trajectory of hand.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Cause – damage of
subthamic Nucleus
commonly haemorrhage. Hemiballism.
 So reduce output from  C/F – spontaneous
GPiSNpc to thalamus. attack of flail-like,
 Disinhibition of thalamic intense violent
output – hyperkinetic movements of whole
movements. opp of body.

Friday, March 4, 2016

 Wilson’s disease.
 Hepatolenticular  C/F – Parkinsonism,
degeneration by Cu Akinesia, muscle
toxicity due to rigidity & tremors.
impaired biliary  Ceruloplasmin level
excretion of Cu. low & Cu content of
 Changes more marked SN high.
in lenticular nucleus
mainly Putamen.

Friday, March 4, 2016

Friday, March 4, 2016
 Kernicterus.
 In Hemolytic diseases of
Newborn due to Rh
antibodies -- Raised
indirect bilirubin –
crosses BBB – damages
Globus Pallidus.
 C/F – Rigidity, Chorea,
Athetosis & Mental
Deficiency.

Friday, March 4, 2016

Thank
You