BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) is an advanced MR imaging sequence that can be implemented at high resolution. This sequence can be performed on conventional MR imaging scanners and is very sensitive to mineralization. The purpose of this study was to establish the course of mineralization in the deep gray matter with age by using SWI. MATERIALS AND METHODS We ret...

The purpose of this study was to identify sites where striatopallidal lesions produce two distinct sensory-triggered hyperkinetic syndromes: (1) exaggerated forelimb treading alone to oral taste infusions and (2) sensorimotor exaggerated treading plus enhanced aversive reactions to taste infusions. The behavioral characteristics of these syndromes have been described previously (Berridge, K.C. ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE After focal cerebral ischemia, depending on its localization and extent, secondary neuronal damage may occur that is remote from the initial lesion. In this study differences in secondary damage of the ventroposterior thalamic nucleus (VPN) and the reticular thalamic nucleus (RTN) were investigated with the use of different ischemia models. METHODS Transient middle cere...

Recently, iron deficiency has been connected with a heterogeneous accumulation of manganese in the rat brain. The striatum is particularly vulnerable, for there is a significant negative correlation between accumulated manganese and gamma-aminobutyric acid levels. The effect of dietary iron deficiency on the distribution of zinc and copper, two other divalent metals with essential neurobiologic...

Psychosis is a common non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease whose pathogenesis remains poorly understood. Parkinson's disease in conjunction with psychosis has been shown to induce injury to extracorticospinal tracts as well as within some cortical areas. In this study, Parkinson's disease patients with psychosis who did not receive antipsychotic treatment and those without psychosis underwe...

We propose a systems-level computational model of the basal ganglia based closely on known anatomy and physiology. First, we assume that the thalamic targets, which relay ascending information to cortical action and planning areas, are tonically inhibited by the basal ganglia. Second, we assume that the output stage of the basal ganglia, the internal segment of the globus pallidus (Gpi), select...

Background: The involvement of frontostriatal circuits in Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) suggests that deep gray matter structures (DGM) may be affected in this disease. Objective: We investigated whether volumes of DGM structures differed between patients with bvFTD, Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and subjective complaints (SC) and explored relationships between DGM structures, cognition and neuropsy...

The globus pallidus (internal segment, GPi) is traditionally regarded as part of the motor system. In this issue of Neuron, Hong and Hikosaka report on a little known projection from the monkey GPi to the lateral habenula that is modulated by reward. This adds an important branch to the brain's reward circuitry.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Several magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques are being exploited to measure brain iron levels increasingly as iron deposition has been implicated in some neurodegenerative diseases. However, there remains no unified evaluation of these methods as postmortem measurement isn't commonly available as the reference standard. The purpose of this study was to make a compa...

Reduced basal ganglia function has been associated with fatigue in neurologic disorders, as well as in patients exposed to chronic immune stimulation. Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) have been shown to exhibit symptoms suggestive of decreased basal ganglia function including psychomotor slowing, which in turn was correlated with fatigue. In addition, CFS patients have been found to...