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“Basal Ganglia” refers to a collection of subcortically (beneath the cortex) located nuclei in the brain. Originally, these nuclei were collectively identified as a conduit for information to pass from cortical association regions to motor cortex for the initiation and control of movement. Today, the function of the basal ganglia is thought to include not only the shaping of motor responses, but also the integration of emotional, motivational, and cognitive information. The integration of such a wealth of information has been shown to contribute to motivated behaviors, habit formation, and motor learning. As part of these functions, the basal ganglia provides a locus of control for movement – simultaneously suppressing unwanted movement and enhancing desired movement (Mink 1996).
The subcortical structures typically included as part of the basal ganglia are: caudate nucleus and putamen (collectively called the striatum), nucleus...
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References and Reading
Alexander, G. E., DeLong, M. R., & Strick, P. L. (1986). Parallel organization of functionally segregated circuits linking basal ganglia and cortex. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 9, 357–381. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ne.09.030186.002041.
Groenewegen, H. J. (2003). The basal ganglia and motor control. Neural Plasticity, 10(1–2), 107–120. https://doi.org/10.1155/NP.2003.107.
Langen, M., Bos, D., Noordermeer, S. D., Nederveen, H., van Engeland, H., & Durston, S. (2014). Changes in the development of striatum are involved in repetitive behavior in autism. Biological Psychiatry, 76(5), 405–411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.08.013.
Mink, J. W. (1996). The basal ganglia: focused selection and inhibition of competing motor programs. Progress in Neurobiology, 50(4), 381–425. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0301-0082(96)00042-1.
Subramanian, K., Brandenburg, C., Orsati, F., Soghomonian, J. J., Hussman, J. P., & Blatt, G. J. (2017). Basal ganglia and autism – a translational perspective. Autism Research, 10(11), 1751–1775. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1837.
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Cho, Y.T. (2018). Basal Ganglia. In: Volkmar, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102059-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102059-1
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