Library · Anatomy
Basal ganglia
Make it clearer
The basal ganglia are a cluster of nuclei, meaning groups of neurons, tucked beneath the neocortex, which is the outer layer of the brain. Their main line of work is movement, but not in the way you might picture it: they are not the ones that tell the arm to move.
What they do is filter. They take in the signals coming down from the neocortex, weigh them, and decide which ones are allowed through and which ones are inhibited, that is, held back. The largest component of the whole cluster is called the striatum.
Think of a bouncer at a club who never pushes anyone in: the only thing they do is decide who gets in.
When part of that circuit degenerates, movement falls apart. Parkinson disease results from the death of the dopaminergic neurons, the ones that make dopamine, in the substantia nigra pars compacta.
In brief
The basal ganglia are a group of nuclei that sit beneath the neocortex of the brain, and their main job is controlling movement.
They take in signals from the cortex, weigh them, and decide which actions to allow and which to inhibit; their largest component is the striatum.
A bouncer who pushes no one inside, only decides who gets in.
When that circuit degenerates, movement falls apart: Parkinson disease results from degeneration of the dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingNeuroanatomy, Basal Ganglia, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated