title: Role of basal ganglia-brainstem systems in the control of postural muscle tone and locomotion.
abstract: This chapter argues that a basal ganglia-brainstem system throughout the mesopontine tegmentum contributes to an automatic control of movement that operates in conjunction with voluntary control processes. Activity of a muscle tone inhibitory system and the locomotion executing system can be steadily balanced by a net excitatory cortical input and a net inhibitory basal ganglia input to these systems. We further propose that dysfunction of the basal ganglia-brainstem system, together with that of the cortico-basal ganglia loop, underlies the pathogenesis of motor disturbances expressed in basal ganglia diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Asahikawa Medical College, Asahikawa 078-8510, Japan. kusaki@asahikawa-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kaoru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takakusaki
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oohinata-Sugimoto
authors.forename: Kazuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saitoh
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Habaguchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000502:physiology*; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009129:Muscle Tonus / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid