- Substantia Nigra: brainstem structure, neurons communicate with basal ganglia 

Smith College

- Involved in coordinating the initiation, direction, and amplitude of a movement
- Works with motor cortex to start/stop movements 
- Made up of forebrain nuclei (nuclei: collection of neurons), including caudate nucleus and putamen (known as striatum), and globus pallidus 
- The substantia nigra and subthalamic nucleus are also closely associated with this region


Basal Ganglia 

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

Behavioral Neuroscience 8th Edition

- 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

Substantia Nigra 

- Subthalamic nucleus: nuclei (nerves) ventral (below) the thalamus, which communicate with basal ganglia 

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