What are the basal ganglia?

The basal ganglia are a set of subcortical nuclei in the cerebrum that are involved in the integration and selection of voluntary behaviour. The striatum, the major input station of the basal ganglia, has a key role in instrumental behaviour — learned behaviour that is modified by its consequences.

What is a basal ganglia hemorrhage?

This type of stroke occurs when blood leaks from a burst, torn, or unstable blood vessel into the tissue in the brain. The buildup of blood can create swelling, pressure, and, ultimately, brain damage. Many basal ganglia strokes are hemorrhagic strokes, which often result from uncontrolled high blood pressure.

What is Gangliocapsular infarct?

Gangliocapsular region consists of basal ganglia nuclei (caudate nucleus and lentiform nucleus), thalamus, and internal capsule. Disorders of basal ganglia typically present with movement disturbances and cognitive impairment.

Is basal ganglia involved in memory?

Extensive evidence now indicates a role for the basal ganglia, in particular the dorsal striatum, in learning and memory. One prominent hypothesis is that this brain region mediates a form of learning in which stimulus-response (S-R) associations or habits are incrementally acquired.

What causes a basal ganglia stroke?

What causes basal ganglia stroke? Many of the strokes that occur in the basal ganglia are hemorrhagic strokes. A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when an artery in part of the brain ruptures. This can happen if the wall of an artery becomes so weak it tears and allows blood to leak out.

What does the right basal ganglia control?

The basal ganglia are associated with a variety of functions, including control of voluntary motor movements, procedural learning, habit learning, conditional learning, eye movements, cognition, and emotion.

How common is basal ganglia stroke?

Basal ganglia stroke is a rare type of stroke that can lead to unique long-term effects, like emotional blunting or loss of spontaneous speech.

What is the most common basal ganglia disorder?

Parkinson’s. Parkinson’s is the most notorious disease of the basal ganglia. Classic clinical symptoms include bradykinesia, resting tremor, postural instability, and shuffling gait. This disease is a result of neurodegeneration of the SNpc dopaminergic neurons.

Is a basal ganglia stroke serious?

Any injury to the basal ganglia can have serious, potentially long-term effects on your movement, perception, or judgment. A stroke that disrupts blood flow to your basal ganglia could cause problems with muscle control or your sense of touch. You could even experience personality changes.

Can you recover from basal ganglia damage?

When the basal ganglia becomes damaged after stroke, it can impair any of these functions. Fortunately, you can recover from a basal ganglia stroke by helping the brain rewire itself via neuroplasticity.

How old are patients with caudate infarct and hemorrhage?

The mean age of patients with caudate infarct was 62±9 years (range, 42 to 78 years), and that for those with caudate hemorrhage was 61±13 years (range, 41 to 78 years).

What are the signs and symptoms of left caudate infarct?

Isolated left caudate infarcts were associated with cognitive dysfunction and minimal motor speech disorder. In patients with extension of the lesion to the putamen (patients 2, 6, and 10), behavioral abnormalities such as abulia, confusion, and motor abnormalities occurred.

What are the risk factors for caudate infarct?

The main risk factors for caudate infarct were hypertension (64\%), hypercholesterolemia (32\%), diabetes mellitus (28\%), and previous myocardial infarct (20\%). Hypertension was present in 4 patients (67\%) with caudate hemorrhage, and arteriovenous malformation was present in 1 patient (17\%).

What is the prognosis of caudate ischemic stroke?

The caudate ischemic stroke had a nonprogressive onset of symptoms (stabilized <1 hour) in 20 patients (80\%) and was progressive (over 2 to 24 hours) in 5 patients (20\%). The symptoms of caudate hemorrhagic stroke stabilized in <1 hour in all cases. Two patients (8\%) with left caudate infarct had generalized convulsion at stroke onset.