Related Subjects:
|Medulla Oblongata
|Midbrain
|Pons
|Caudate Nucleus
|Putamen and Globus Pallidus
|Cerebral Cortex
|Internal Capsule
|Cavernous sinus
|Basal Ganglia
|Brainstem Anatomy
|Thalamic Anatomy
|Caudate Nucleus
ℹ️ About
- Putamen – derived from the telencephalon, its name means “shell” in Greek 🐚.
- Globus Pallidus (GP) – derived from the diencephalon.
- Together they form the lentiform nucleus (lens-shaped) and are part of the basal ganglia.
Composed of
- Putamen + Caudate nucleus = Striatum 🎯
- Putamen + Globus Pallidus = Lentiform nucleus
Function
- Globus Pallidus Interna (GPi): Major output nucleus → sends inhibitory GABAergic signals to the thalamus.
- Globus Pallidus Externa (GPe): Regulates activity of the subthalamic nucleus within the indirect pathway.
- Putamen: Involved in motor control, especially learned automatic movements (e.g. riding a bike 🚲).
- Overall: Key role in the direct vs indirect basal ganglia pathways that balance movement initiation and inhibition.
Blood Supply
- Lenticulostriate arteries (branches of MCA) 🩸 – highly vulnerable to lacunar infarcts (“arteries of stroke”).
- Also supplied partly by the anterior choroidal artery.
Pathology
- Stroke: Ischaemia or haemorrhage in lenticulostriates → contralateral hemiparesis, sensory loss.
- Parkinson’s disease: Imbalance of basal ganglia circuitry involving GP and putamen → bradykinesia, rigidity.
- Huntington’s disease: Degeneration of the striatum (esp. caudate + putamen) → chorea 💃.
- Wilson’s disease: Copper deposition in putamen/GP → movement disorder + psychiatric symptoms.
🔎 Investigations
- CT/MRI brain – detect infarcts, haemorrhage, or basal ganglia degeneration.
- Special imaging: DAT-SPECT in Parkinson’s to assess dopamine transporter integrity.
💊 Management
- As per underlying cause – e.g. stroke protocols for ischaemia/haemorrhage, dopaminergic therapy in Parkinson’s, copper chelation in Wilson’s.
References
- Standring S. Gray’s Anatomy, 42nd ed.
- Kandel ER et al. Principles of Neural Science, 5th ed.
