The Basal Ganglia

When someone is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease it means that there is a dysfunction occurring in that person’s Basal Ganglia. The Basal Ganglia are nuclei that are interconnected with other cortical and subcortical structures. They are located deep to the cerebral cortex and are superior to the brainstem. The issue with Parkinson’s disease is that there is a disturbance between the two pathways of the Basal Ganglia. A lesion to the Substantia Nigra par compacta causes the disruption between the direct and indirect pathway; destruction of this type of neural tissue results in the lack of production of dopamine and the inability to excite the neurons in the direct pathway and inhibit the neurons of the indirect pathway. Due to the over-excitement