from the fact that most of its elements are located in the basal part of the forebrain. the term ganglia is a misnomer: in modern usage, neural clusters are called "ganglia" only in the peripheral nervous system; in the central nervous system they are called "nuclei". for this reason, the basal ganglia are also occasionally known as the "basal nuclei". terminologia anatomica (1998), the international authority for anatomical naming, retained "nuclei basales", but this is not commonly used. the international basal ganglia society (ibags) informally considers the basal ganglia to be made up of the striatum, the pallidum (with two nuclei), the substantia nigra (with its two distinct parts), and the subthalamic nucleus, whereas terminologia anatomica excludes the last two. some neurologists have included the centromedian nucleus of the thalamus as part of the basal ganglia, and some have also included the pedunculopontine nucleus. other animals