Zona incerta
Region of gray matter cells in the subthalamus below the thalamus / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The zona incerta (ZI) is a horizontally elongated region of gray matter in the subthalamus below the thalamus. Its connections project extensively over the brain from the cerebral cortex down into the spinal cord.
Zona incerta | |
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Details | |
Identifiers | |
Latin | zona incerta |
MeSH | D065820 |
TA98 | A14.1.08.707 |
TA2 | 5707 |
FMA | 62038 |
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy |
Its function is unknown, though several potential functions related to "limbic–motor integration" have been proposed, such as controlling visceral activity and pain; gating sensory input and synchronizing cortical and subcortical brain rhythms. Its dysfunction may play a role in central pain syndrome. It has also been identified as a promising deep brain stimulation therapy target for treating Parkinson's disease.
Its existence was first described by Auguste Forel in 1877 as a "region of which nothing certain can be said".[1][2] A hundred and thirty years later in 2007, Nadia Urbain and Martin Deschênes of Université Laval noted that the "zona incerta is among the least studied regions of the brain; its name does not even appear in the index of many textbooks."[3]