Parietal branches of middle cerebral artery
Rami parietales arteriae cerebri mediae
Cortical branches of the middle cerebral artery that emerge from the lateral sulcus to supply the lateral surface of the parietal lobe.
At a glance
- English
- Parietal branches of middle cerebral artery
- Latin (TA2)
- Rami parietales arteriae cerebri mediae
- System
- Artery
- Region
- Head
- Side
- Paired, left and right
About the parietal branches of middle cerebral artery
The parietal branches of the middle cerebral artery are the vessels that leave the posterior part of the lateral sulcus and climb onto the outer surface of the parietal lobe. They usually include an anterior parietal artery, which runs in or near the postcentral sulcus, a posterior parietal artery, which supplies the supramarginal gyrus and the region behind it, and the artery of the angular gyrus, which follows the end of the lateral sulcus backward.
Their territory covers most of the lateral surface of the parietal lobe: the lower and middle parts of the postcentral gyrus, the supramarginal and angular gyri, and the lateral part of the superior parietal lobule. Towards the top of the hemisphere their branches meet those of the anterior cerebral artery, and towards the back they meet branches of the posterior cerebral artery, forming the border zones where watershed infarcts can occur when blood pressure falls.
Blockage of these branches causes a characteristic pattern. Damage to the postcentral gyrus gives loss of sensation over the opposite face and arm more than the leg, since the leg area lies on the medial surface in the territory of the anterior cerebral artery. In the dominant hemisphere, usually the left, damage to the angular and supramarginal gyri can disturb reading, writing, calculation and the naming of fingers, and may cause difficulty repeating speech. In the non-dominant hemisphere a parietal infarct often leads to neglect of the opposite side of space and of the body.
Course and supply
- Arises from
- The middle cerebral artery, from its branches in the posterior part of the lateral sulcus.
- Ends in
- Ends in branches over the lateral surface of the parietal lobe, meeting anterior and posterior cerebral branches at their borders.
- Supplies
- Supplies the lateral parietal cortex, including the face and arm parts of the postcentral gyrus and the supramarginal and angular gyri.
Anthromica
See the parietal branches of middle cerebral artery where it really sits, with every layer of the body around it.
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- English and Latin. Every structure named the way your exam names it.
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