substantia nigra

American  

[suhb-stan-shee-uh nahy-gruh, nig-ruh] / səbˈstæn ʃi ə ˈnaɪ grə, ˈnɪg rə /

noun

plural

substantiae nigrae, substantia nigras

1. a deeply pigmented area of the midbrain containing dopamine-producing nerve cells.

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substantia nigra British  

/ səbˈstænʃə ˈnaɪɡrə /

noun

1. a layer of grey matter in the brain that produces dopamine and contains pigmented nerve cells, loss of which has been associated with Parkinson's disease

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Etymology

Origin of substantia nigra

1880–85; < New Latin: black substance

Example Sentences

The research, conducted in Parkinson's disease patients undergoing brain surgery while awake, homed in on the brain's substantia nigra, a crucial area associated with motor control and reward processing.

From Science Daily • Feb. 26, 2024

They reported that giving rats a chronic intravenous infusion of rotenone selectively destroyed the same dopamine producing neurons in the substantia nigra that degenerate in Parkinson’s patients.

From Science Magazine • May 4, 2023

It affects neurons in a specific area of the brain called the substantia nigra.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2022

Parkinson’s results from the death of key neurons in the substantia nigra region of the brain that produce the chemical messenger dopamine.

From Washington Post • Jul. 2, 2021

It is thought to depend upon some connexion, not yet anatomically demonstrated, between the third cranial nerve and its nucleus in the floor of the iter and the substantia nigra.

From The Project Gutenberg Encyclopedia Volume 1 of 28 by Project Gutenberg