Artery of precentral sulcus

At a glance

English

Artery of precentral sulcus

Latin (TA2)

Arteria sulci precentralis

System

Artery

Region

Head

Side

Paired, left and right

About the artery of precentral sulcus

The artery of the precentral sulcus, also called the prerolandic artery, is one of the cortical branches of the middle cerebral artery. After the middle cerebral artery divides in the lateral sulcus, its branches leave the sulcus and fan out over the lateral surface of the hemisphere. This one emerges from the lateral sulcus near the lower end of the precentral sulcus and runs upwards in or along that sulcus, which marks the front edge of the precentral gyrus.

Its branches spread onto the front part of the precentral gyrus and onto the back parts of the middle and inferior frontal gyri. Behind it runs the artery of the central sulcus. In front of it lie the branches to the prefrontal region and the lower frontal lobe. As with the other cortical branches, the number and arrangement of these vessels vary, and the artery may share a stem with a neighbour.

The cortex it supplies includes part of the motor strip and the premotor region in front of it, which plans and organises movement. Blockage of this artery may therefore cause weakness of the opposite face and arm. In the dominant hemisphere, usually the left, its territory lies close to the speech area of the inferior frontal gyrus, so a disturbance of speech production may accompany the weakness.

Course and supply

Arises from

Middle cerebral artery, from one of its trunks as it emerges from the lateral sulcus, most often the superior trunk.

Ends in

Branches in the walls of the precentral sulcus, the front of the precentral gyrus and the back of the middle and inferior frontal gyri.

Supplies

Supplies the premotor cortex and the front part of the motor cortex on the lateral surface of the frontal lobe.