Home > Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders > Striatonigral Degeneration

Definition

Striatonigral degeneration is a neurodegenerative disease caused by disruption of two areas, the striatum and substantia nigra, which work together to enable movement and balance.

Description

Striatonigral degeneration was described in 1961 and 1964. However, since the disorder has common manifestations seen in multiple diseases (e.g., the Shy-Drager syndrome, where autonomic nervous system failure predominates, and sporadic olivopontocerebellar degeneration, where cerebellum deficits predominate), it was necessary to clarify the nomenclature. In 1999, the name striatonigral degeneration was replaced with the accepted new names: multiple system atrophy-Parkinson (MSA-P), if Parkinson's disease symptoms predominate, or...