An example of a misnomer in medicine: Choice of the term basal ganglia for the basal nuclei

Abstract

In modern literature, a group of neurons in the peripheral nervous system is called a ‘ganglion’, while this in the central nervous system is called a ‘nucleus’. For the plurality of these structures, ganglia and nuclei are used, respectively. Such terminological distinction was probably not in the mind of early scientists, and the name of the basal ganglion became a misnomer frequently used by modern scientists to name subcortical nuclei involved in the control of movement. All this is far from explaining why this misnomer continues. It is not known whether it will change in the future, but it is certain that this will not happen in the near future. Knowing that it is used with a misnomer and the fact that these structures are actually basal nuclei appears in the minds of scientists and students is an important victory.