PSYC 311 Chapter Notes - Chapter 15.8: Supplementary Motor Area, Substantia Nigra, Caudate Nucleus

• School: McGill University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 311
• Professor: Michalakis Petrides

Document Summary

Functional imaging studies have shown that akinesia, difficulty initiating movements, was associated to decreased activation of the supplementary motor areas. Tremors are associated with abnormalities of the neural system involving the pons, midbrain, cerebellum and thalamus. Three stereotaxic procedures have been developed to treat parkinson"s that no longer responds to l-dopa. The first one, transplantation of fetal tissue, attempts to re-establish the secretion of dopamine in the neostriatum: the fetal tissue from the substantia nigra of aborted fetuses is implanted into the caudate nucleus and the putamen. It was also shown that the fetal cells also eventually develop deposits of. Synuclein and misfolded proteins are transferred from cell to cell in the brain. The principle output of the basal ganglia comes from the internal division of the globus pallidus, At one time pallitodomies were performed, with mixed results, but with new technologies for targeting the gpi, this treatment is very promising.