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Physiology of Basal Ganglia Disorders: An Overview

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2015

Mark Hallett
Mark Hallett*
Affiliation:
Human Motor Control Section, Medical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
*
Clinical Director, NINDS, National Institutes of Health, Building 10, Room 5N226, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
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Abstract:

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The pathophysiology of the movement disorders arising from basal ganglia disorders has been uncertain, in part because of a lack of a good theory of how the basal ganglia contribute to normal voluntary movement. An hypothesis for basal ganglia function is proposed here based on recent advances in anatomy and physiology. Briefly, the model proposes that the purpose of the basal ganglia circuits is to select and inhibit specific motor synergies to carry out a desired action. The direct pathway is to select and the indirect pathway is to inhibit these synergies. The clinical and physiological features of Parkinson's disease, L-DOPA dyskinesias, Huntington's disease, dystonia and tic are reviewed. An explanation of these features is put forward based upon the model.

Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences , Volume 20 , Issue 3 , August 1993 , pp. 177 - 183
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation 1993

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