Which inhibitory neurotransmitter is essential for motor control and is deficient in Huntington's disease due to loss of inhibitory signaling in motor pathways?

Prepare for the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) Exam with flashcards and multiple-choice questions. Each question includes insights and explanations to help you excel. Get ready for your certification journey!

Multiple Choice

Which inhibitory neurotransmitter is essential for motor control and is deficient in Huntington's disease due to loss of inhibitory signaling in motor pathways?

Motor control relies on inhibitory signaling in the brain, mainly through GABA, the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the CNS. In Huntington's disease, there is loss of striatal GABAergic neurons that normally modulate the indirect pathway of the basal ganglia. When these inhibitory signals diminish, thalamic activity increases, driving excessive motor cortex output and producing choreiform movements. Glycine is an inhibitory transmitter mainly in the spinal cord and brainstem, not central to Huntington’s motor pathology; glutamate is excitatory; norepinephrine has modulatory roles. Thus, GABA is the neurotransmitter whose deficiency in the motor pathways explains the movement disturbance.

Motor control relies on inhibitory signaling in the brain, mainly through GABA, the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the CNS. In Huntington's disease, there is loss of striatal GABAergic neurons that normally modulate the indirect pathway of the basal ganglia. When these inhibitory signals diminish, thalamic activity increases, driving excessive motor cortex output and producing choreiform movements. Glycine is an inhibitory transmitter mainly in the spinal cord and brainstem, not central to Huntington’s motor pathology; glutamate is excitatory; norepinephrine has modulatory roles. Thus, GABA is the neurotransmitter whose deficiency in the motor pathways explains the movement disturbance.

More practice questions