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 condition is a progressive disorder that is caused by the death of nerve cells in the part of the brain called the substantia nigra, which controls movement.

From Science Daily • Jun. 18, 2024

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

In a 2012 study, he and colleagues showed in a mouse model of Parkinson’s that NIR light shined into mice’s heads protected dopamine-producing cells in the substantia nigra from a neurotoxin.

From Science Magazine • Sep. 17, 2020

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