Substantia nigra
From Wikinfo
The substantia nigra (Latin for "black substance") is a portion of the midbrain in which dopamine is produced. Damage to the substantia nigra, whether from age related changes, viral infection (the "sleepy sickness" of the 1920s described in Oliver Sacks' book Awakenings), or toxins such as MPTP (a synthetic heroin), results in Parkinsonism
References
- Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Substantia_nigra" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substantia_nigra, used under the GNU Free Documentation License
