CNS 5

 Basal nuclei
o Involved in the control of posture and voluntary movement
o Have no direct input or output connections with the spinal cord
o 3 basal nuclei
 Corpus striatum
 Caudate nucleus
 Lentiform nucleus
o Globus pallidus
o Putamen
 Amygdaloid nucleus
 Claustrum
o Subthalamic nuclei, substantia nigra and red nucleus are related to basal nuclei but not
included in with them

Terminology
 Caudate nucleus
 Lentiform nucleus
o Globus pallidus
o Putamen
 Claustrum
 Corpus striatum
o Caudate nucleus
o Lentiform nucleus
 Neostriatum (striatum)
o Caudate nucleus
o Putamen
 Amygdaloid body
o Amygdaloid nucleus

Corpus striatum
 Lies lateral to the thalamus
 Almost completely divided by the internal capsule (band of nerve fibers) into
o Caudate nucleus
o Lentiform nucleus

Caudate nucleus
 Closely related to the lateral ventricle
 Lies lateral to the thalamus
 Related laterally to the internal capsule
o Separate it from the lentiform nucleus
 Divided into
o Head
 Form the lateral wall of the anterior horn of the lateral ventricle
 Continuous inferiorly with the putamen of the lentiform nucleus
 Superior to this point, strands of gray matter pass through the internal
capsule, giving the region striated appearance, hence corpus striatum
 Neostriatum or striatum
 Caudate nucleus
  Putamen
o Body
 Continuous with the head in the region of interventricular foramen
 Form part of the floor of the body of the lateral ventricle
o Tail
 Continuous with body in the region of the posterior end of the thalamus.
 Follow the contour of the lateral ventricle and continues forward in the roof of the
inferior horn of the lateral ventricle
 Terminates anteriorly in the amygdaloid nucleus

Lentiform nucleus
 Related medially to the internal capsule
o Separate it from the caudate nucleus and the thalamus
 Related laterally to the external capsule
o Separate it from the claustrum
 Separate the external capsule from the subcortical white matter of the insula
(extreme capsule)
 Divided into
o Putamen
 Continuous with the head of caudate nucleus inferiorly
o Globus pallidus
 Its paleness due to high concentration of myelinated nerve fibers

Amygdaloid nucleus
 Lies in the temporal lobe, close to the uncus
 Part of the limbic system
 In the sense of fear it can change the
o Heart rate
o Blood pressure
o Skin color
o Rate of respiration
 Located partly anterior and partly superior to the tip of the inferior horn of the lateral ventricle
 Fused with the tip of the tail caudate nucleus
 Stria terminalis emerges from its posterior aspect
 Consist of nuclei grouped into
o Larger basolateral group
o Smaller corticomedial group

Substantia nigra and subthalamic nuclei

 Substantia nigra
o Located in the midbrain
o Its neurons are dopaminergic, inhibitory and have many connections to the corpus
striatum.
 Subthalamic nuclei
o Located in the diencephalon
o Their neurons are glutaminergic, excitatory and have many connections to the globus
pallidus and substantia nigra

Claustrum
 Thin sheet of gray matter
  Separated from the lateral surface of lentiform nucleus by external capsule
 Related laterally to the subcortical white matter of insula (extreme capsule)

Connection of the corpus striatum and globus pallidus

 Main sites for receiving input to the basal nuclei
o Caudate nucleus
o Putamen
 Major site from which the output leaves the basal nuclei
o Globus pallidus
 Corpus striatum does not receive direct input from or output to the spinal cord

Connections of the corpus striatum

Afferent fibers
 Corticostriate fibers
o All parts of the cerebral cortex send axons to the caudate nucleus and putamen
o Glutamate is the neurotransmitter of the corticostriate fibers
 Thalamostriate fibers
o Interlaminar nuclei of the thalamus send axons to the caudate nucleus and putamen
 Nigrostriate fibers
o Neurons in the substantia nigra send axons to the caudate nucleus and the putamen
o Liberate dopamine as neurotransmitter
o Inhibitory in function
 Brainstem striatal fibers
o Ascending fibers from the brainstem end in the caudate nucleus and the putamen

Efferent fibers
 Striatopallidal fibers
o Pass from caudate nucleus and putamen to the globus pallidus
o Have gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) as their neurotransmitter
 Striatonigral fibers
o Pass from caudate nucleus and putamen to the substantia nigra
o Use GABA, acetylcholine or substance P as neurotransmitter

Connections of the globus pallidus

Afferent fibers
 Striatopallidal fibers
o Pass from caudate nucleus and putamen to the globus pallidus
o Have GABA as neurotransmitter

Efferent fibers
 Pallidofugal fibers
o Divided into
 Ansa lenticularis
 Pass to thalamic nuclei
 Fasiculus lenticularis
 Pass to Subthalamus
 Pallidotemental
 Terminate in caudal tegmentum of the midbrain
 Pallidosubthalamic fibers
 Pass to subthalamic nuclei
Cross sections
Midbrain
 Superior colliculi
o Cavity
 Cerebral aqueduct
o Nuclei
 Superior colliculus
 Substantia nigra
 Oculomotor nucleus
 Edinger-Westphal nucleus
 Red nucleus
 Mesencephalic nucleus of CN V
 Inferior colliculi
o Cavity
 Cerebral aqueduct
o Nuclei
 Inferior colliculus
 Substantia nigra
 Trochlear nucleus
 Mesencephalic nuclei of CN V

Pons
 Facial colliculus
o Cavity
 4th ventricle
o Nuclei
 Facial nucleus (CN VII)
 Abducent nucleus (CN VI)
 Medial vestibular nucleus (CN VIII)
 Spinal nucleus of CN V
 Pontine nuclei
 Trapezoid nuclei
 Trigeminal nuclei
o Cavity
 4th ventricle
o Nuclei
 Main sensory and motor nucleus of CN V
 Pontine nuclei
 Trapezoid nuclei

Medulla oblongata
 Just inferior to pons
o Cavity
 4th ventricle
o Nuclei
 Lateral vestibular nucleus (CN VIII)
 Cochlear nucleus (CN VIII)
 Olives, inferior cerebellar peduncle
o Cavity
 4th ventricle
o Nuclei
 Inferior olivary nucleus
  Spinal nucleus of CN V
 Vestibular nucleus (CN VIII)
 Glossopharyngeal nucleus (CN IX)
 Vagal nucleus (CN X)
 Nucleus ambiguus (CN IX, X, IX)
 Nucleus of tractus solitarius
 Decussation of medial lemnisci
o Cavity
 Central canal
o Nuclei
 Nucleus gracilis
 Nucleus cuneatus
 Spinal nucleus of CN V
 Accessory nucleus (CN XI)
 Hypoglossal nucleus (CN XII)
 Decussation of pyramids
o Cavity
 Central canal
o Nuclei
 Nucleus gracilis
 Nucleus cuneatus
 Spinal nucleus of CN V
 Accessory nucleus (CN XI)

Corpus callosum
 Largest commissure of the brain
 Connect the 2 cerebral hemispheres
 Lies at the bottom of the longitudinal cerebral fissure
 Divided into
o Rostrum
 Located anteriorly
 Continuous with the lamina terminalis
o Genu
 Forceps minor: is a fibers bundle, which connects the lateral and medial surfaces
of the frontal lobes and crosses the midline via the genu of the corpus callosum.
o Body
 Its fibers extend laterally as the radiation of the corpus callosum
 Tapetum: fibers that form the
 Roof and lateral wall of the posterior horn of the lateral ventricle
 Lateral wall of the inferior horn of the lateral ventricle
o Splenium
 Its fibers form the forceps major