Basal ganglia
The basal ganglia are a group of nuclei in the brain associated motor coordination. Their functioning is closely associated with the cerebellum and the motor cortex, which aid in carrying out willed movements, and are therefore important in motor planning. The basal ganglia receive inputs from the motor and premotor areas of the cerebral cortex and send projections back to the cortex (via the thalamus) to modify movements on a second-to-second basis.
The basal ganglia are located deep within the brain, under the cortical white matter and consist of: the caudate nucleus, the putamen, nucleus accumbens, globus pallidus, the substantia nigra, and the subthalamic nucleus. The term striatum is sometimes used to refer collectively to the triad of the caudate nucleus, the putamen and nucleus accumbens.
The term "basal ganglia" is a misnomer since the term ganglion is usually used to denote groups of neurons outside the central nervous system, while nucleus is used for those within the CNS.
Disorders linked with the basal ganglia
References
- Nolte, John, The Human Brain: An Introduction to its Functional Anatomy (Fifth Edition). (St. Louis: Mosby, Inc., 2002), 464-484. ISBN 0-323-01320-1