NETTER - Neuroscience Flash Cards

Axial Sections through the Forebrain:
Basal Ganglia and Internal Capsule
1. Anterior limb of the internal capsule
2. Rostrum of the corpus callosum
3. Frontal pole of the lateral ventricle
4. Septum pellucidum
5. Head of the caudate nucleus
6. Anterior thalamic nucleus
7. Genu of the internal capsule
8. Splenium of the corpus callosum
9. Body of the fornix
10. Occipital lobe
11. Optic radiations
12. Temporal pole of the lateral ventricle
13. Tail of the caudate nucleus
14. Pulvinar
15. Posterior limb of the internal capsule
16. Insular cortex
17. Putamen
Comment: Huntington’s disease is an autosomal dominant disorder
caused by a trinucleotide repeat (CAG) on the short arm of chromosome
4. This disorder results in a progressive, untreatable disease that
includes a movement disorder (choreiform movements—brisk, jerky,
forcible, arrhythmic movements); a progressive cognitive impairment;
and affective problems (depression, psychotic behavior). Huntington’s
disease may progress from a state of minor impairment (clumsiness,
irritability, depression) to major impairment, incapacitation, and an
early death. The anatomical hallmark of this disease is the marked
degeneration of the caudate nucleus (conspicuous on MR imaging)
and also the putamen. The medium spiny neurons of the striatum that
project to the pallidum degenerate because of excitotoxic damage
(activation of N-methyl D-aspartate [NMDA] receptors that induce
neuronal apoptosis by an influx of excessive Ca ++ ). The intrinsic
cholinergic neurons of the striatum also degenerate.
Regional Neuroscience See book 13.7A