Background: The term basal ganglia usually includes the striatum, globus pallidus, substantia nigra and the subthalamic nucleus. Basal ganglia disease may cause a number of movement disorders. This article reviews central elements of normal basal ganglia function and discusses how basal ganglia dysfunction may give rise to various motor disturbances.
Material and method: This review is based on personal experience and literature retrieved from searches in PubMed.
Results and interpretation: The basal ganglia consist of a complex network of nuclei and neural pathways. They participate in the planning of voluntary movement, but also seem to be involved in cognitive and affective functions. Basal ganglia dysfunction may lead to hypokinetic as well as hyperkinetic disorders, and many of these are caused by changes in dopaminergic activity. Nonetheless, pathophysiological explanations for the various movement disorders are not known in detail. It is likely that impulse frequency and firing patterns in neural loops through the basal ganglia are of great importance in both normal function and disease.