Neurological syndrome following bilateral damage to the head of the caudate nuclei

Abstract

We describe a persistent behavioral disorder associated with bilateral destruction of the head of the caudate nuclei. The findings in this case support a role for the caudate nuclei in behavioral functions and are interpreted in view of recent anatomical and physiological information on the connections of the caudate nuclei with the prefrontal cortex.

Patterns of Brain Activation during Visually Evoked Sexual Arousal Differ between Homosexual and Heterosexual Men

“…16 Moreover, activation of the right caudate nucleus is correlated with the intensity of the urge to perform handwashing rituals or the intensity of various provoked obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms. 17,18 In both the sexually arousing condition and in the OCD symptom-provoking paradigm, subjects are simultaneously confronted with the urge to act and with the practical impossibility of doing so, and the 3 regions-orbitofrontal cortex, cingulate cortex, and caudate nuclei-are known to be part of a circuit, also including the thalamus, that may be involved in the regulation of both consciously perceived emotional concerns and repetitive behavior.…”

Acute Caudate Vascular Lesions

“…The topography of the head of caudate subnuclei included the lateral caudate nucleus (LCN), medial caudate nucleus (MCN), ventral caudate nucleus (VCN), and caudate fundus region, which were assessed by radiological investigations following previously published templates 14 (Figure 1). Three major vascular areas that supply the head of the caudate nucleus were included, according to the templates of Ghika et al 15 : (1) Heubner's artery, a direct penetrating artery originating from the anterior cerebral artery and supplying the inferior part of the head of the caudate nucleus and the anterior limb of the internal capsule; (2) anterior lenticulostriate arteries originating from the proximal part of the anterior cerebral artery and supplying the anterior area of the head of the caudate nucleus; and (3) lateral lenticulostriate arteries originating from the middle cerebral artery and supplying a major part of the head of the caudate nucleus, anterior internal capsule, and putamen. A large caudate infarct was one Ͼ1.5 cm on Ͼ2 slices on CT and MRI.…”

“…Earlier studies that included caudate lesions involving neighboring anatomic structures, such as the putamen, internal capsule, and white matter, did not elucidate the clinical functions of the caudate nucleus head. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Studies on vascular lesions (either infarct or hemorrhage) of the caudate nucleus are few. We studied a series of patients with caudate infarcts or hemorrhages involving the head of the caudate nucleus (confirmed by CT and MRI), stroke etiology, clinical profiles, and behavioral abnormalities.…”

Reduction of Caudate Nucleus Volumes in Neuroleptic-Naïve Female Subjects with Schizotypal Personality Disorder

“…In addition, Richfield et al (1987) published a case report demonstrating that bilateral destruction of the caudate nucleus produced deficits in memory, learning, motivation, and behavior without producing any motor deficits. Furthermore, both functional and structural neuroimaging studies have implicated abnormalities in basal ganglia structures in disorders affecting cognition and emotion, such as schizophrenia or schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) (Buchsbaum et al 1992;Cohen et al 1997;Hokama et al 1995;Levitt et al 2002;Shihabuddin et al 2001).…”