Abstract
The arterial input to the brain, in man, is entirely through the two internal carotids and two vertebral arteries; the latter joining together to form the basilar artery. Each internal carotid artery and the basilar artery delivers approximately one-third of the cerebral blood supply. These three input vessels link up at the base of the brain to form the Circle of Willis. From this arterial anastomosis the major medium-sized intracranial arteries arise. The advantage of this system is that variations in calibre of the vessels in the neck, due for example to movements of the neck, are compensated for by re-routing of blood through the Circle of Willis.
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References
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© 1972 Springer Science+Business Media New York
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McDowall, D.G. (1972). The Regulation of Cerebral Blood Flow and Intracranial Pressure. In: Nicholson, J.P. (eds) Interdisciplinary Investigation of the Brain. Advances in Behavioral Biology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3539-7_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3539-7_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-3541-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-3539-7
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