The Role of the Pedunculopontine Tegmental Nucleus in Motor Disorders

In this chapter, we discuss why the pedunculopontine is an appropriate target in studying movement disorders, explaining its association with both the pathology and treatment of Parkinsonism. We discuss how various laboratories, including our own, have approached experimental examination of the pedunculopontine and some of the findings that have emerged. These lead us finally to reflect on the nature of movement disorders and how they necessarily involve not just the control of musculature but additionally the complex cognitive processes of decision making – the processes that underlie not just “doing” but also “choosing” and how these are embedded deeper in brain than is often appreciated.