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Introduction: The globus pallidus nucleus is a structure part of the basal ganglia and is involved in carrying out movements. Objective: To substantiate the reasons why the globus pallidus nucleus is selected as a surgical target for some diseases that present with movement disorders. Evidence acquisition: A bibliographic review (UptoDate, NCBI, Pubmed, Scielo and EBSCO) of more than 35 articles in Spanish and English related to globus pallidus nucleus was carried out, including anatomical nomenclatures, texts and atlases describing it, its structural organization, normal and pathological functioning and implications in the practice of Functional Neurosurgery. Most were published from 2016 to date. Results: Anatomically, globus pallidus is considered as a structure that belongs to the so-called basal ganglia together with the caudate, putamen, substantia nigra (reticulate and compact parts) and the subthalamic nucleus. An internal medullary lamina divides it into the external globus pallidus and the internal globus pallidus. By taking these two portions into account, the designed functional models of the basal ganglia give it a dual role in the control of movement. The internal portion (internal globus pallidus) is justified as a surgical target for both hypokinetic and hyperkinetic movement disorders. Conclusions: The anatomical and functional connections of both portions of the globus pallidus and their role in the direct and indirect pathways of movement control, as well as in the pathophysiology characterized by an environment with altered dopaminergic neurotransmission, justify its use as a surgical target in some diseases with movement disorders, by modifying the influence of these pathways on the activity of the motor thalamus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe the prevalence of Treponema pallidum infection in individuals treated in a specialized medical center in Medellín, Colombia in 2019. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted, including 776 subjects of the general population (apparently healthy-asymptomatic and without risk factors for syphilis), 126 men who have sex with men (msm) and 190 vulnerable young people (low socioeconomic strata, unemployed and low educational level) which were identified within and beyond spaces of concentration of msm and nongovernmental organizations. A survey and a detection test for IgG, IgM and IgA for T. pallidum specific antibodies were used as the primary information source. Results: Prevalence of T. pallidum infection was 0.53 % in vulnerable young participants, 2.19% in the general population and 16.67 % in msm. The odds ratio of infection in subjects aged between 51 and 60 years was 13.8 (95% ci = 3.5-51.5) compared to that found in young people aged between 21 and 30 years; 12.0 (95% ci = 1.8-79.2) comparing those with low educational level to university students; 3.3 (95% ci = 1.1-9.9) for people without health insurance compared to those belonging to the contributory health insurance regime; and 8.1 (ci 95 % = 2.8-23.0) in those who have sex with key groups versus those who do not report these practices. Conclusion: A low prevalence of T. pallidum infection was found in young participants, followed by subjects belonging to the general population and was higher in msm. Groups with the highest risk were identified (among the three subgroups studied), including subjects excluded from prevention programs, with a confluence of sexual risk factors and socioeconomic deprivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative motor pathology worldwide, the causes of which are still unclear. Currently there is no cure, but it is possible to have different treatments that allow to alleviate some of its symptoms and slow its course. Due to the large amount of information, sometimes contradictory, about the so-called "risk factors" (understood as situations that may exacerbate the possibility of the onset of the disease, from family predisposition to prolonged exposure to exogenous substances), in this review aims to provide a current overview of factors associated with the occurrence of PD. We also review some treatments that seek to counteract the loss of the dopaminergic function of the substance nigra (SN) and some of the therapeutic approaches both pharmacologically, by deep brain stimulation (DBS) or by cellular implantation. Also reviewed investigations on the therapeutic potential of compounds with high specificity to cholinergic receptors (nAChRs) and adenosine receptor antagonists, specifically the A2A subtype. Possibly, during the next decades, our knowledge in epigenetics may shed new light on this interaction, as well as on the relationships between certain lines of intestinal microbes and onset of PD. At this time, the most effective therapeutic alternative is DBS; however, in the future it is expected that the development of new brain implant strategies may offer a real cure for PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Unilateral posteroventral pallidotomy (UPVP) has proven an effective treatment of motor symptoms in patients with advanced stages of Parkinson's disease (PD), however, the cognitive effects have not been clearly defined. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the clinical outcome of UPVP and its neuropsychological effects. Methods: For this study we studied 10 subjects with advanced PD who underwent UPVP and 10 subjects with advanced PD who were candidates for surgery but did not undergo the surgery (control), with the follow administered tests mini-mental Parkinson (MMP), NEUROPSI, Beck depression inventory (BDI), beck anxiety inventory (BAI), and a statistical analyses with a Wilcoxon rank-sum test compared the pre-operative and 12-month values and their changes across patients and between groups. Results: Neuropsychological testing revealed declines in visual detection but improvements on 20-minute delayed verbal recall at 12-month follow-up from UPVP. Conclusions: Visual disorders could be related to affections of the pathway between the thalamus and posterior parietal cortical areas. The increase in delayed recall could be associated with an increased L-dopa effect from the basal ganglia to the prefrontal dorsolateral cortex related with UPVP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Describe and quantify changes that occur with age in the "eye-of-the-tiger" sign in patients with pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration. Patients and methods. Magnetic resonances from 30 genetically confirmed patients (4 to 76 years) and 3 asymptomatic cases (7 to 11 years) were evaluated. Results. The younger patients presented hyperintensity in the globus pallidus without the typical peripheral hypointensity. The majority, including the asymptomatic patients, presented "eye-of-the-tiger". In 6 individuals this hyperintensity appeared darkened. The size of the hypointense area correlated significantly with age (p < 0.01) but not with degree of dystonia (p > 0.05). Discussion. Changes in the "eye-of-the-tiger" sign represent an early lesion in the globus pallidus which turns into an area of gliosis. Iron accumulates with no relationship to dystonia and cannot be used as a parameter to measure progression of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Los autores investigaron las anomalías estructurales de las regiones cerebrales que engloban los circuitos córtico-estriado-talámico-corticales en los pacientes pediátricos con trastorno obsesivo-compulsivo (TOC). Método: Se calcularon los volúmenes del núcleo caudado, del putamen y del globo pálido junto con los volúmenes de la sustancias gris y blanca de la circunvolución cingular anterior y de la circunvolución frontal superior a partir de imágenes adyacentes de 1,5 mm obtenidas por resonancia magnética en 23 pacientes pediátricos con TOC que no habían recibido previamente medicación psicotropa (7 pacientes de sexo masculino y 16 pacientes de sexo femenino) y en 27 voluntarios sanos (12 y 15 individuos de sexo masculino y femenino, respectivamente). Resultados: El volumen del globo pálido era de menor tamaño en los pacientes que en los voluntarios sanos, si bien los volúmenes del núcleo caudado, del putamen y de las regiones frontales de sustancia blanca no difirieron entre ambos grupos. En comparación con los voluntarios sanos, el volumen total de la sustancia gris de la circunvolución cingular anterior fue superior en los pacientes, a diferencia del volumen de la circunvolución frontal superior. El volumen total de la circunvolución cingular anterior se relacionó significativa y positivamente con el volumen del globo pálido en los voluntarios sanos, pero no en los pacientes. Conclusiones: Estos resultados confirman el menor volumen del globo pálido en los pacientes con TOC en ausencia de los posibles efectos de confusión debidos a la exposición previa a psicofármacos. En el TOC, las anomalías volumétricas de la circunvolución cingular anterior parecen específicas de la sustancia gris, al menos a nivel macroanatómico, y concuerdan con los resultados de los estudios funcionales por la neuroimagen que comunicaron un hipermetabolismo cingular anterior en el trastorno. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]