- Basal Ganglia structures receives information from cerebral cortex, relays their output back to cortex in order to coordinate movement
- Deterioration to basal ganglia has resulted in diseases including Parkinson's and Huntington's disease
- Basal ganglia especially important in coordinating movements in relation to memories, rather than sensory stimuli
- Also useful in learning various motor-related skills

Basal Ganglia and Movement

- Caused by twitching of hands/ face, involuntary movement of entire body (including "jerking" of body), and behavioral issues (depression, decreased intellectual capabilities)
- Caused by continual degradation of basal ganglia (neural) cells, and its associated structures (including caudate nucleus and putamen)
- Disease is inherited by family members, caused by mutation on a gene on chromosome 4 
- This is a dominant mutation, meaning only 1 mutated gene is required

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- Two of the most well known diseases associated with damage to the basal ganglia include Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease 

Basal Ganglia and Motor Impairments 

Breedlove, S. & Watson, N. (2017). Behavioral neuroscience, eighth edition. Oxford University Press.

Behavioral Neuroscience 8th Edition

- Caused by degradation of cells containing dopamine that project on basal ganglia cells 
- Symptoms include tremors during periods of stagnation, loss of facial muscle tone, rigid muscles, and decreased voluntary movement
- Disease usually not inherited, but there are some defective genes that can be inherited, including a-synuclein (protein normally found in basal ganglia cells) and parkin

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