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Cerebral circulationCerebral circulation refers to the blood vesselsin the brain. Arteriescarry bloodto the brain, and veinscarry it away, back to the heart. The cerebral blood vessels are responsible for cerebral blood flow, the amount of blood within the skull. Cerebral ArteriesThere are four cerebral arteries. The two largest are the two internal carotid arteries, the left and right branches of the common carotid arteriesin the neck which enter the skull, as opposed to the external carotidbranches which supply the facial tissues. The two smaller arteries are the vertebral arteries, which branch from the subclavian arterieswhich primarily supply the shoulders, lateral chest and arms. Within the cerebral vault, which houses the brain, the two vertebral arteries fuse into the basilar artery, which is located underneath, and primarily supplies, the brainstem. Both internal carotidarteries, within and along the floor of the cerebral vault, are interconnected via the anterior communicating artery. Additionally, both internal carotid arteriesare interconnected with the basilar artery via bilateral posterior communicatingarteries. The Circle of Willis, long considered to be an important anatomic vascular formation, provides backup circulation to the brain. In case one of the supply arteries is occluded, the Circle of Willisprovides interconnections between the internal carotidarteriesand basilar arteryalong the floor of the cerebral vault, providing blood to tissues that would otherwise become ischemic. Cerebral VeinsThe cerebral veinsjoin to form a central sagittal vein, which flows under the top middle portion of the cerebral vault, posteriorly and inferiorly, and divides to form the two jugular veins. In the neck, the jugular veinsparallel the upward course of the carotid arteriesand drain blood into the vena cava. See also
Categories: Arteries| Neurology| Cardiology| Radiology
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