The putamen is one of the brain's subcortical nuclei. It's part of the basal ganglia, which also consists of the caudate and the globus pallidus (and, depending on who you ask, the amygdala, the nucleus accumbens, and the substantia nigra as well). The putamen is involved in the control of movement, but its exact role is unclear. It degenerates in Huntington's chorea, although the most severe degeneration is seen in the caudate.

Pu*ta"men (?), n. [L.] Bot.

The shell of a nut; the stone of a drupe fruit. See Endocarp.

 

© Webster 1913.

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