Neuropsychiatry of the basal ganglia

Apathy in Mild Parkinson’s Disease: Neuropsychological and Neuroimaging Evidence

“…In particular, dysfunction of the dopaminergic system may be crucial because it plays an integrative and regulatory role in the development and interpretation of emotions, motor control and reward processes [61,62]. These data suggest that perturbation of homeostasis of the brain network which includes the frontal lobe, insula and the basal ganglia might be an important factor contributing to the appearance of apathy in PD.…”

“…The basal ganglia, part of a subcortical network of structures, when dysfunctional may be crucially involved in the genesis of apathy in patients with PD [61]. In particular, dysfunction of the dopaminergic system may be crucial because it plays an integrative and regulatory role in the development and interpretation of emotions, motor control and reward processes [61,62].…”

Cerebral Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Children With Prenatal Drug Exposure

“…47 There is convincing evidence that detrimental effects of alcohol on the developing fetal brain underlay these neurobehavioral problems, with proposed mechanisms of neurotoxicity supported by extensive animal-and cell culture research. [48][49][50] A wide range of neuropsychological impairments have also been associated with prenatal exposure to drugs other than alcohol, however, a far more limited number of studies exist to answer whether these impairments are caused by specific drugs. 18,23 The possible neurobehavioral long-term effects of prenatal cocaine exposure have been investigated in several large, well-controlled, prospective studies.…”

Neuropsychiatry

“…This explains why disorders of the basal ganglia, including Parkinson's disease (PD), are characterised by abnormalities of movement, mental state and cognitive function (Fig 1, Table 4) 8 .…”