The Basal Ganglia

The basal ganglia are defined operationally as a set of structures whose damage causes similar sorts of motion disorders [53]: in particular, involuntary movements, muscular rigidity, and immobility without paralysis [32]. The basal ganglia are usually taken to include the caudate nucleus and putamen (jointly termed the neostriatum or striatum), the globus pallidus (or pallidum), the subthalamic nucleus, and the substantia nigra.