substantia nigra

noun

sub·​stan·​tia ni·​gra səb-ˌstan(t)-shē-ə-ˈnī-grə 

-ˈni-

plural substantiae nigrae səb-ˌstan(t)-chē-ˌē-ˈnī-(ˌ)grē 

-ˈni-

: a layer of deeply pigmented gray matter situated in the midbrain and containing the cell bodies of a tract of dopamine-producing nerve cells whose secretion tends to be deficient in Parkinson's disease

Examples of substantia nigra in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The disease is characterized by a sharp loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the substantia nigra, a structure in the lower brain. —IEEE Spectrum, 11 July 2023

Sad music, conversely, stimulated the substantia nigra, an important reward center in the brain that happy music didn't activate. —Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 6 Jan. 2016

Dopamine-making neurons were particularly badly hit, particularly those in an adjoining part of the brain called the substantia nigra. —Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 16 Nov. 2012

In seven patients, a fiber optic cable implanted in their brain will deliver pulses of near-infrared (NIR) light directly to the substantia nigra, a region deep in the brain that degenerates in Parkinson’s disease. —Gunjan Sinha, Science | AAAS, 17 Sep. 2020

In humans, the substantia nigra is connected to parts of the brain that control our movements, and dopamine helps to control those motor circuits. —Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 16 Nov. 2012

Parkinson’s disease happens because cells in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra die, and dopamine decreases. —Kat McGowan, Discover Magazine, 1 Mar. 2012

That’s exactly what happens in the brains of human Parkinson’s patients – dopamine-making neurons die off in the substantia nigra. —Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 16 Nov. 2012

In Parkinson's, one brain area (e.g. the substantia nigra) might show severe Lewy pathology while a nearby area, heavily connected to the first by synapses, shows none at all. —Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 14 Oct. 2017

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Word History

Etymology

New Latin, literally, black substance

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

substantia nigra

noun

sub·​stan·​tia ni·​gra səb-ˌstan-chē-ə-ˈnī-grə  -ˈnig-rə 

plural substantiae nigrae -chē-ˌē-ˈnī-(ˌ)grē  -ˈnig-(ˌ)rē 

: a layer of deeply pigmented gray matter situated in the midbrain and containing the cell bodies of a tract of dopamine-producing nerve cells whose secretion tends to be deficient in Parkinson's disease