Neuroanatomy, Basal Ganglia

Excerpt

The basal ganglia is a cluster of nuclei found deep to the neocortex of the brain. It has a multitude of functions associated with reward and cognition but is primarily involved in motor control. In particular, the basal ganglia is considered to be a gate-keeping mechanism for the initiation of motor movement, effectively choosing which actions to allow and which actions to inhibit. In addition, nuclei of the basal ganglia project to limbic and prefrontal regions of the thalamus and cortex and function in a similar way to manifest executive decision-making and reward or aversion emotional stimulation. A number of landmark motor disorders affect the basal ganglia such as Parkinson and Huntington disease which disturb motor control in markedly different contexts.