Module 3: Objectives

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.