Brain Vasculature II

Question 0

What happens when the anterior or posterior spinal arteries are damaged/occluded?

Answer 0

Loss of spinal cord function (paralysis, loss of sensation) at the level of occlusion

Question 1

What are the four spinal arteries?

Answer 1

1 anterior vertebral artery, 2 posterior vertebral artery and radicular branches of intercostal arteries

Question 2

What are the symptoms of damage/occlusion of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA)?

Answer 2

Wallenberg syndrome. loss of pain and temperature sensation on contralateral side of the body and ipsilateral side of the face.

Question 3

What are the symptoms of occlusion of the anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA)?

Answer 3

Lateral Pontine syndrome. Sudden onset of vomiting/vertigo. Ipsilateral loss of sensation to the face. Ipsilateral facial paralysis.

Question 4

What are the symptoms of occlusion of the superior cerebellar artery?

Answer 4

Ipsilateral limb dysmetria. Contralateral loss of sensation

Question 5

What are the symptoms of occlusion of the pontine artery?

Answer 5

Contralateral paralysis, loss of sensation. Often death

Question 6

What are the symptoms of occlusion of the Labyrinthins artery?

Answer 6

Ipsilateral hearing loss and vertigo

Question 7

The anterior communicating arteries connect which structures?

Answer 7

The anterior cerebral arteries

Question 8

The posterior communicating arteries anastomose which arteries?

Answer 8

The middle and posterior cerebral arteries

Question 9

The middle cerebral artery branches into which arteries?

Answer 9

The cortical branches and the lateral striate arteries

Question 10

Damage to the cortical branches can result in…? What about damage to cortical branches on the dominant side?

Answer 10

Contralateral paralysis and sensory loss. Dominant side occlusion can result in aphasia

Question 11

What is the result of damage to the lateral striate arteries?

Answer 11

Hemiplegia (paralysis of one side)

Question 12

Damage to the anterior cerebral artery can result in:

Answer 12

Contralateral paralysis and sensory loss of leg and foot. Also abulia (lack of will/initiative/spontaneity…)

Question 13

Damage to the posterior cerebral artery can cause:

Answer 13

Visual field defects; prosopagnosia (face blindness); contralateral deficits of the facial, vagus, hypoglossal nerve; ipsilateral deficits of the oculomotor nerve

Question 14

What are the dural sinuses? Where are they?

Answer 14

Spaces between bone (periosteal) and meningeal dural layers where venous blood drains. Generally located at the junction of dural folds.

Question 15

Where is the superior Sagittal sinus?

Answer 15

Where the falx cerebri attaches to the interior of the frontal, parietal and occipital bones

Question 16

Where is the inferior Sagittal sinus?

Answer 16

On the lower, inferior edge of the falx cerebri

Question 17

Where is the straight sinus?

Answer 17

Connects the inferior and superior Sagittal sinuses at the intersection of the falx cerebri and the tentorium cerebelli

Question 18

Where is the confluens?

Answer 18

Inside of the occipital bone, where the falx cerebri and tentorium cerebelli intersect

Question 19

Where does the sigmoid sinus start? Where does it drain into?

Answer 19

From the transverse sinus to the internal jugular vein (at the jugular foramen)

Question 20

Where does the transverse sinus flow?

Answer 20

Along the tentorium cerebelli, at the inferior surface of the occipital bone

Question 21

Where is the cavernous sinus?

Answer 21

On either side of the sphenoid bone, at the sella turcica. Surrounds the pituitary

Question 22

The cavernous sinus receives blood from what structures?

Answer 22

Local veins and orbital veins (a route of infection!)

Question 23

The cavernous sinus communicates with what two structures?

Answer 23

Pterygoid plexus and the lateral pterygoid muscle

Question 24

How does venous blood from the cavernous sinus get to the transverse sinus?

Answer 24

Via the inferior ands superior petrosal sinuses

Question 25

What structures pass through the cavernous sinus to exit the foramina? (5)

Answer 25

Internal carotid artery, CN III (oculomotor n), CN IV (trochlear nerve), CN V (V1- ophthalmic and V2- Maxillary), and CN VI (Abducens nerve)

Question 26

What are the spinal veins?

Answer 26

Anterior and posterior longitudinal sinuses and basivertebral vein.

Question 27

Which spinal veins do not have valves?

Answer 27

The anterior and posterior longitudinal sinuses

Question 28

Which spinal vein is responsible for many prostate cancer metastases?

Answer 28

The basivertebral vein

Question 29

What are emissary veins and what are two uses of the emissary veins?

Answer 29

Veins connecting the scalp to the dural sinuses. Useful for thermoregulation and to cool the brain during hyperthermia

Question 30

What four things comprise the blood-brain barrier?

Answer 30

Endothelium, Pericytes, astrocyte feet and basal lamina

Question 31

How are large water soluble molecules prevented from crossing the blood-brain barrier?

Answer 31

Tight junctions that are further maintained by astrocyte feet

Question 32

How do glucose and amino acids pass the blood-brain barrier?

Answer 32

Via transporters

Question 33

How do gasses pass through the blood-brain barrier?

Answer 33

Passive diffusion through lipid membranes

Question 34

Which parts of the CNS have no blood-brain barrier? Why?

Answer 34

The hypothalamus (hormonal detection), the area postrema (poison detection- the vomiting center) and the periventricular regions

Question 35

What are the three barriers?

Answer 35

Blood-brain; brain-CSF; blood-CSF

Question 36

Which “barrier” does not have tight junctions?

Answer 36

Brain-CSF barrier

Question 37

What substances can pass through all three barriers?

Answer 37

Lipophillic substances like anesthesia and alcohol

Question 38

What two nerves run together through the auditory meatus?

Answer 38

Vestibulocochlear and facial nerve