Basal Ganglia Development

The basal ganglia are a diverse collection of large structures in the telencephalon that are not strictly part of the olfactory system or the cerebral cortex–but they have anatomical links to olfactory and cortical components.  The basal ganglia include the septal region, the magnocellular basal telencephalic nuclei, the striatum, the amygdala, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, the entopeduncular nucleus, and the claustrum.  Each part of the basal ganglia has characteristic neurogenetic gradients.  Many of these gradients can be correlated with topographic anatomical connections with other parts of the brain.  For example, the strong medial (older) to lateral (younger) neurogenetic gradient in the lateral septal nucleus is linked to its hippocampal connections (see diagram in the hippocampal development page).  Nearly every neurogenetic gradient in the striatum can be correlated with its anatomical connections with other brain structures.  Explore links to the pdf files below to discover other correlations.