Kinesiology 3480A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Cerebellar Ataxia, Anterograde Amnesia, Basal Ganglia

• School: Western University
• Department: Kinesiology
• Course: Kinesiology 3480A/B
• Professor: Matthew Heath

Document Summary

Movement neuroscience lecture 6/7 adam groh. The basal ganglia is a group of varied nuclei (neurons) connected to the thalamus and cerebral cortex specifically m1, and is located within the brainstem. It plays an important role in the excitation of m1 neurons. As a consequence, deficits to the basal ganglia result in a lack of movement. Specifically, a hemiballismus creates constant involuntary movement in the arms/legs, resulting from lesions to the basal ganglia. Most importantly, there are two pathways that function as a result of the basal ganglia. One pathway is direct and allows for excitation of m1 neurons and the other pathway, which is indirect, inhibits activation of m1 neurons (when one does not want to move). Direct pathway: an excited stimulus is first sent from the cortex (m1) to the striatum. From the striatum, inhibitory signals are sent to the globus pallidus internal (gpi) and the substantia.