Module 3 - The Blood Supply of the Brain
Module 3 - The Blood Supply of the Brain
Module 3 - The Blood Supply of the Brain
Knowledge
- Describe or sketch the course of the major arteries and their branches that comprise the carotid and vertebral-basilar systems.
- Name the vessels or branches that primarily supply the following major regions:
- Lateral parts of the hemisphere including its deep white matter, internal capsule, and basal ganglia
- Medial parts of the hemisphere
- Posterior and inferior parts of the hemisphere
- Thalamus
- Medial brainstem
- Lateral brainstem and cerebellum
- Name the major arteries (and branches) that supply: primary motor cortex for face, arm, leg and corticobulbar and corticospinal fibers in deep white matter of the hemisphere, and throughout the rest of their course.
- Name the major arteries that supply the different components of the visual system and language system.
- List four important regions where collateral circulation may provide alternate routes for blood flow to the brain.
Clinical Applications and Reasoning
- Explain why collateral circulation often does not protect against brain ischemia when a major vessel is abruptly occluded by an embolus.
- Explain how a slowly-developing occlusion of the internal carotid in the neck might be totally asymptomatic.
- Explain two different ways that a carotid branch occlusion can produce leg weakness.
- Name three structures where both hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhages and lacunar infarcts often occur, and relate this to at least one feature shared by their blood supplies.