Canadian Medical Guide > Diseases > Nervous System Diseases > Central Nervous System Diseases > Brain Diseases > Basal Ganglia Diseases Terms and Definitions




Basal Ganglia Diseases

Medical Definition: Diseases of the BASAL GANGLIA including the PUTAMEN; GLOBUS PALLIDUS; claustrum; AMYGDALA; and CAUDATE NUCLEUS. DYSKINESIAS (most notably involuntary movements and alterations of the rate of movement) represent the primary clinical manifestations of these disorders. Common etiologies include CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASE; NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES; and CRANIOCEREBRAL TRAUMA.
Guide Notes: GEN: prefer specifics; coord IM with specific site (IM)
Also Called: Extrapyramidal Disorders,Lenticulostriate Disorders
Previously Indexed: Movement Disorders (1966-1971),specific anatomic site (1966-1971)
Basal Ganglia Diseases Categories.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Basal Ganglia Cerebrovascular Disease - Infarction, hemorrhage, ischemia, or hypoxia of any component of the BASAL GANGLIA of the brain. Clinical manifestations may include involuntary or dyskinetic movements and hemiparesis (secondary to involvement of the INTERNAL CAPSULE). Etiologies include atherosclerosis, hypertension, inflammatory conditions (e.g., vasculitis), and emboli of arterial or cardiac origin. Lacunar infarctions frequently occur in the basal ganglia. Hemorrhages in this region are associated with hypertension, but may also result from the rupture of vascular malformations.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Chorea Gravidarum - A rare disorder characterized by the development of chorea, athetosis, and/or hemiballismus during pregnancy. RHEUMATIC FEVER and collagen vascular disorders are frequently associated with this disease. Chorea may vary from mild to severe and occurs in approximately 1 per 2,000 to 3,000 pregnancies. (From Md Med J 1997 Sep;46(8):436-9)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Dystonia Musculorum Deformans - A condition characterized by focal DYSTONIA that progresses to involuntary spasmodic contractions of the muscles of the legs, trunk, arms, and face. The hands are often spared, however, sustained axial and limb contractions may lead to a state where the body is grossly contorted. Onset is usually in the first or second decade. Familial patterns of inheritance, primarily autosomal dominant with incomplete pentrance, have been identified. (Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p1078)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Hallervorden-Spatz Syndrome - A rare autosomal recessive degenerative disorder which usually presents in late childhood or adolescence. Clinical manifestations include progressive MUSCLE SPASTICITY; hyperreflexia; MUSCLE RIGIDITY; DYSTONIA; DYSARTHRIA; and intellectual deterioration which progresses to severe dementia over several years. Pathologic examination reveals neuronal atrophy in the globus pallidus and iron deposition in blood vessels and perivascular spaces. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p972; Davis & Robertson, Textbook of Neuropathology, 2nd ed, pp972-929)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Huntington Disease - A familial disorder inherited as an autosomal dominant trait and characterized by the onset of progressive CHOREA and DEMENTIA in the fourth or fifth decade of life. Common initial manifestations include paranoia; poor impulse control; DEPRESSION; HALLUCINATIONS; and DELUSIONS. Eventually intellectual impairment; loss of fine motor control; ATHETOSIS; and diffuse CHOREA involving axial and limb musculature develops, leading to a vegetative state within 10-15 years of disease onset. The juvenile variant has a more fulminant course including SEIZURES; ATAXIA; dementia; and chorea. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, pp1060-4)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Meige Syndrome - A syndrome characterized by orofacial DYSTONIA; including BLEPHAROSPASM; forceful jaw opening; lip retraction; platysma muscle spasm; and tongue protrusion. It primarily affects older adults, with an incidence peak in the seventh decade of life. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p108)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Multiple System Atrophy - A syndrome complex composed of three conditions which represent clinical variants of the same disease process: STRIATONIGRAL DEGENERATION; SHY-DRAGER SYNDROME; and the sporadic form of OLIVOPONTOCEREBELLAR ATROPHIES. Clinical features include autonomic, cerebellar, and basal ganglia dysfunction. Pathologic examination reveals atrophy of the basal ganglia, cerebellum, pons, and medulla, with prominent loss of autonomic neurons in the brain stem and spinal cord. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p1076; Baillieres Clin Neurol 1997 Apr;6(1):187-204; Med Clin North Am 1999 Mar;83(2):381-92)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome - A potentially fatal syndrome associated primarily with the use of neuroleptic agents (see ANTIPSYCHOTIC AGENTS) which are in turn associated with dopaminergic receptor blockade (see RECEPTORS, DOPAMINE) in the BASAL GANGLIA and HYPOTHALAMUS, and sympathetic dysregulation. Clinical features include diffuse MUSCLE RIGIDITY; TREMOR; high FEVER; diaphoresis; labile blood pressure; cognitive dysfunction; and autonomic disturbances. Serum CPK level elevation and a leukocytosis may also be present. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p1199; Psychiatr Serv 1998 Sep;49(9):1163-72)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Parkinsonian Disorders - A group of disorders which feature impaired motor control characterized by bradykinesia, MUSCLE RIGIDITY; TREMOR; and postural instability. Parkinsonian diseases are generally divided into primary parkinsonism (see PARKINSON DISEASE), secondary parkinsonism (see PARKINSON DISEASE, SECONDARY) and inherited forms. These conditions are associated with dysfunction of dopaminergic or closely related motor integration neuronal pathways in the BASAL GANGLIA.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Supranuclear Palsy, Progressive - A degenerative disease of the central nervous system characterized by balance difficulties; OCULAR MOTILITY DISORDERS (supranuclear ophthalmoplegia); DYSARTHRIA; swallowing difficulties; and axial DYSTONIA. Onset is usually in the fifth decade and disease progression occurs over several years. Pathologic findings include neurofibrillary degeneration and neuronal loss in the dorsal MESENCEPHALON; SUBTHALAMIC NUCLEUS; RED NUCLEUS; pallidum; dentate nucleus; and vestibular nuclei. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, pp1076-7)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Tourette Syndrome - A neuropsychological disorder related to alterations in DOPAMINE metabolism and neurotransmission involving frontal-subcortical neuronal circuits. Both multiple motor and one or more vocal tics need to be present with TICS occurring many times a day, nearly daily, over a period of more than one year. The onset is before age 18 and the disturbance is not due to direct physiological effects of a substance or a general medical condition. The disturbance causes marked distress or significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. (From DSM-IV, 1994; Neurol Clin 1997 May;15(2):357-79)

Basal Ganglia Diseases Medical Definitions and Terms

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