Rule 1: The “OG” basal ganglia (striatum and globus pallidi) use GABA ➖as their neurotransmitter. Everything else uses glutamate ➕.
Rule 2: Once you know Rule 1, all you have to do is memorize the order of the structures:
Direct pathway: CS___GiT
Indirect pathway: CS GeS GiT
Both pathways start with
cortex (C)>striatum (S)
and end with globus pallidus internus (Gi)>Thalamus (T).
For the indirect, just add GeS (Globus pallidus externus>STN) in the middle!
On exams I draw out these letters and fill in the neurotransmitter (GABA for the OG BG, Glutamate for the rest), and I can answer any question about the direct & indirect pathways! Hope this helps you to study these pathways for the last time! 🧠
Glad I got the BG basics down with my 2 step mnemonic above, because I just learned in #Aspen from a lecture by @DrSusanHFox there could be a second hyperdirect pathway! 😅 @movedisorder
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