Synonyms

Basal ganglia ( Warwick & Williams, 1973 ) : Synonym for cerebral nuclei (Swanson, 2000); see Warwick & Williams (1973, p. 805; and Williams & Warwick, 1980, p. 864). Its use is discouraged because reference to ganglia (Galen, c173) in the cerebrospinal axis (Meckel, 1817) is archaic; and because "basal ganglia" today usually refers to a functional system that includes components in the forebrain (Goette, 1873) and midbrain (Baer, 1837), rather than to a topographic division of the endbrain (Kuhlenbeck, 1927); see Anthoney (1994, pp. 106-109), DeLong & Wichmann (2007), and Federative Committee on Anatomical Terminology (1998, *A14.1.09.501).

Cerebral ganglia ( Reil, 1809 ) : Basically synonymous with macrodissected adult human cerebral nuclei (Swanson, 2000); see Mayo translation (1823, p. 52).

Cerebral nuclei ( CNU ; Swanson, 2000 ) : The ventral (Schulze, 1893) topographic division of the endbrain (Kuhlenbeck, 1927), with a basically nonlaminated architecture; the dorsal (Barclay, 1803) division is the cerebral cortex (Bauhin, 1605). The general outlines of the cerebral nuclei were described for macrodissected adult humans by Bartholin (1651; see English translation 1662, p. 141), and a basic distinction during embryogenesis between cerebral cortex and cerebral nuclei was stressed by Baer (1837) and Reichert (1859-1861). The most common synonym today for cerebral nuclei, which was clearly defined by Swanson (2000, p. 117; 2004, pp. 166-170), is basal ganglia (Warwick & Williams, 1973); also see ganglion (Galen, c173). Other synonyms include corpus striatum (Willis, 1664), cerebral ganglia (Reil, 1809), and basal nuclei (Warwick & Williams, 1973). Cerebral nuclei (Swanson, 2000) is preferred to the synonym basal nuclei (Warwick & Williams, 1973) because it pairs naturally with cerebral cortex (Bauhin, 1605).