An operation for treating Parkinson's disease and certain other diseases characterized by muscular rigidity, consisting of destroying a specific part of the corpus striatum by injecting it with a chemical, usually alcohol.
The globus pallidus is a pale-appearing spherical area in the brain. It is part of what is called the lentiform nucleus which, in turn, is part of the striate body, a component of the basal ganglia, the large masses of gray matter at the base of the cerebral hemispheres of the brain.
Cells within the globus pallidus may be preferentially damaged and perish in carbon monoxide poisoning, barbiturate intoxication, cyanide poisoning, hydrogen sulfide poisoning, profound prolonged hypoglycemia (low blood sugar or glucose), hypoxia (subnormal concentration of oxygen), hypotension (blood pressure that is below the normal), and Wilson disease (inherited disorder in which too much copper accumulates in the body).