Subthalamic nucleus

Last edit by Alaric Steinmetz on

Synonyms: STN, Subthalamic nucleus, Corpus Luysii

The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is functionally part of the Basal ganglia and plays an important role in extrapyramidal motor function.

Anatomy

The subthalamic nucleus is oval in shape and is located ventral to the Thalamus in the Diencephalon; it can be functionally divided into limbic, associative, and motor subdivisions [^4].

Functional subdivisions of the subthalamic nucleus
Schematic illustration of the functional subdivisions of the subthalamic nucleus. Copyright © 2020 Emmi, Antonini, Macchi, Porzionato and De Caro. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).

Imaging

The subthalamic nucleus can be visualized particularly well on MRI using a T2, SWI, or FLAIR sequence [^2].

Nucleus subthalamicus on T2 MRI
Visualization of the nucleus subthalamicus on an axial T2 MRI sequence.

Clinical relevance

In patients with Parkinson's disease who qualify for Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), the subthalamic nucleus is one of the possible target structures for electrode implantation. Stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus can particularly improve the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, whereas the nonmotor symptoms remain largely unaffected [^1].

Lesions

Occlusion of the perforating branches of the posterior communicating artery can lead to impairment of the subthalamic nucleus [^3]. A lesion in the subthalamic nucleus can result in the clinical presentation of Hemiballismus.

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