Arterial Blood Supply to the Brain

The arterial blood for the brain enters the cranial cavity by way of two pairs of large vessels: the internal carotid arteries, which branch off the common
carotids, and the vertebral arteries, which arise from the subclavian arteries. The vertebral arterial system supplies the brain stem, cerebellum, occipital lobe,
and parts of the thalamus, and the carotids normally supply the remainder of the forebrain.

Branches of Internal Carotid Artery

Route:
•Cervical
•Petrous
•Cavernous
•Supraclinoid
Artery Location/path Part of brain it supplies Symptoms of infarct
Opthalmic artery
Posterior The posterior communicating Optic chiasm, parahippocampal gyrus,
Communicating arteries join the middle interpeduncular region, crus cerebri and
Artery cerebral arteries to the posterior thalamus
cerebral arteries, which are part
of the basilar artery system.

Anterior Choroidal
Artery
*Anterior Cerebral The ACAs run medially then
Artery enter the longitudinal fissure.
They curve posteriorly and run
along the corpus callosum
(pericallosala.) and cingulated
gyrus (callosomarginala.)
Linked by the Anterior
Communicating Artery
• The two anterior
cerebral arteries usually
meet over a short
distance in midplane to
form a short but
functionally important
anterior
communicating
artery. This vessel
Carries blood to the choroid plexus of the
lateral ventricles as well as to adjacent brain
structures (hippocampus)
The anterior cerebral artery supplies the
anterior frontal lobe and the medial aspect of
the hemisphere (frontal and parietal lobes,
cingulated gyrus).
It supplies blood to the medial cortex,
including the medial aspect of the motor strip
and the sensory strip.
Perforating branches supply the basal ganglia.
Blockages in these arteries can affect the
production of cerebrospinal fluid and can also
cause memory problems
In a stroke affecting the territory irrigated by the
anterior cerebral artery, weakness is most
pronounced in the contralateral leg.
Damage to the anterior cerebral artery can cause
sensory and motor impairment in the lower body.
For example, a patient who has had a stroke
affecting this artery may be incontinent or have
unilateral paralysis from the hips on down.
A blockage in this artery can affect cognition and
cause motoric problems due to damage to fibers
in the internal capsule or to the basal ganglia.
 forms an anastomosis
between the left and
right hemispheres,
which is especially
important when one
internal carotid
becomes occluded.
Loops forward around the optic
chiasm forming the anterior
portion of the cerebral arterial
circle of Willis.
*Middle Cerebral The MCAs run laterally
Artery through the lateral cerebral
fissure of Sylvius giving off
lenticulostriate aa. In the
lateral cerebral fissure, the
MCAs bifurcate into superior
and inferior divisions
The central branches of the
middle cerebral are the medial
and lateral striata arteries.
The anterior communicating artery joins the anterior cerebral arteries of each hemisphere together.
The middle cerebral artery supplies many
deep structures and much of the lateral aspect
of the cerebrum.
This large artery has tree-like branches that
bring blood to the entire lateral aspect of each
hemisphere. This means that this artery
supplies blood to the cortical areas involved in
speech, swallowing and language, including
the lateral motor strip, lateral sensory strip,
Broca's area, Wernicke's area, Heschl's gyrus,
and the angular gyrus. In addition, it provides
most of the blood supply to the corpus
striatum.
The striata supply the basal ganglia, internal
capsule, and thalamus
In a stroke affecting the territory of the middle
cerebral artery, weakness and sensory loss are
most severe in the contralateral face and arm, but
the leg may be only mildly affected or unaffected.
If a patient has a blockage in the middle cerebral
artery, it is probable that s/he will have aphasia.
S/he will probably also have impaired cognition
and corticohyposthesia, or numbness, on the
opposite side of the body. Problems with hearing
and the sense of smell may also result from
damage to this artery because it supplies the
lateral surface of the temporal lobe.
Because they are the main blood supply to the
internal capsule, they are called by some the
arteries of stroke. When something happens to
these arteries, the bottleneck of fibers within the
internal capsule can be damaged, causing many
disabilities. The striata are very thin arteries and
blood pressure within it high. For this reason,
they are considered by many to be more
vulnerable to hemorrhages than to blockages,
although occlusion of one of these arteries is the
major cause of classical stroke where pyramidal
tract damage results in contralateral hemiplegia.
Branches of Vertebral Artery
The vertebral aa. branch from the subclavian aa., pass through the transverse foramina of the cervical vertebrae and enter the foramen magnum.
Artery
Anterior spinal artery
Basilar artery
Posterior Cerebral Artery
Posterior inferior cerebellar artery
Location/Path
Formed by anastomosing branches
off the medial aspect of the vertebral
arteries.
Runs the length of the spinal cord in
the ventral median fissure.
The vertebral arteries anastomose to
form the basilar a. which runs along
the ventral surface of the pons and
birfurcates at the upper border of the
pons into two posterior cerebral
arteries
Branches off the basilar artery. The
PCAs curve around the midbrain,
then branch to supply the medial and and lateral ventricles and the lower
inferior surfaces of the temporal and
occipital lobes.
Pass anterior to the oculomotor nerve the posterior fossa of the skull,
and project laterally toward the
temporal lobes of the cerebrum.
Branch off the lateral aspect of the
vertebral arteries (inferior to the
branching of the anterior spinal
Part of brain it supplies Symptoms of infarct
Supplies the medial medulla
including the medullary pyraminds
and the anterior 2/3 of the cervical
spinal cord
Supplies thalamus, midbrain, pons
Supplies mainly the occipital lobe Blockages in this artery can affect
and the choroid plexuses of the third the sense of smell, and cause cranial
nerve damage, as well as visual
surface of the temporal lobe problems, including visual agnosia,
hemianopsia and alexia.
Supplies the part of the brain found in
including the medial area of the
occipital lobes and the inferior
aspects of the temporal lobes. They
also supply the midbrain and deliver
blood to the thalamus and some other
subcortical structures.
Supplies midbrain, posterior parts of
the brain (occipital lobe), thalamus,
globus pallidus
The posterior inferior cerebellar not
only supplies the cerebellum but
takes blood to the lateral medulla.
Supplies the inferior surface of the
cerebellum and the lateral part of the
rostral medulla
 artery)
Anterior inferior cerebellar artery Branch off the lateral aspect of the Supplies the inferior surface of the
basilar artery just superior to the cerebellum and the lateral part of the
anastomoses of the vertebral arteries caudal pons
Pass just posterior to the abducent
nerve
Superior cerebellar artery Branch off the basilar artery just Supply the superior surface of the
inferior to the posterior cerebral cerebellum, parts of the midbrain and
arteries the lateral part of the pons
Pass posterior to the oculomotor
nerve
Pontine artery Several small branches off the lateral Supply the pons
aspect of the basilar artery
Internal Auditory Artery/Labyrinthine Tiny branches off the lateral aspect of Supply the inner ear
arteries the basilar artery inferior to the
pontine arteries but superior to the
anterior inferior cerebellar arteries
The small penetrating arteries, which branch off the basilar artery, supply vital centers in the brain stem