Motor System
the basal ganglia include: caudate nucleus, putamen and globus pallidus
- in humans, the caudate nucleus and putamen are typically segregated; in lower mammals (like the rat), the caudate nucleus and putamen are combined into one structure
- striatum is a term used to refer to both the caudate nucleus and putamen
- corpus striatum refers to the caudate nucleus, putamen and globus pallidus
two additional brain regions are interconnected with the basal ganglia--subthalamic nucleus and substantia nigra
the basal ganglia forms a variety of interconnected loops with the subthalamic nucleus, substantia nigra, thalamus and cerebral cortex
bottom line: basal ganglia (and associated brain regions) receives input from sensory and motor cortices, it processes and integrates the information, and then sends the output to supplementary and premotor cortices to control motor activity