extrapyramidal motor system


ex·tra·py·ram·i·dal mo·tor sys·tem

literally, all brain structures that affect bodily (somatic) movement, excluding the motor neurons, the motor cortex, and the pyramidal (corticobulbar and corticospinal) tract. Despite its very wide literal connotation, the term is more often used to denote in particular the striate body (basal ganglia), its associated structures (substantia nigra, subthalamic nucleus), and its descending connections with the midbrain.

ex·tra·py·ram·i·dal mo·tor sys·tem

(eks'tră-pir-am'i-dăl mō'tŏr sis'tĕm) Literally: all those brain structures affecting bodily (somatic) movement, excluding the motor neurons, the motor cortex, and the pyramidal (corticobulbar and corticospinal) tract. Despite its very wide literal connotation, the term is commonly used to denote in particular the striate body (basal ganglia), its associated structures (substantia nigra, subthalamic nucleus), and its descending connections with the midbrain.