Central arteries (or perforating or ganglionic arteries) of the brain are numerous small arteries branching from the Circle of Willis and adjacent arteries that often enter the substance of the brain through the anterior and posterior perforated substances, and supply structures of the base of the brain and internal structures of the cerebral hemisphere. They are separated into four principal groups: anteromedial central arteries; anterolateral central arteries (lenticulostriate arteries); posteromedial central arteries (paramedian arteries); and posterolateral central arteries.
The anterolateral central arteries or lenticulostriate arteries[3] (also anterolateral perforating arteries, anterolateral ganglionic arteries, striate arteries, or lateral striate arteries; latin aa. centrales anterolaterales,[4] or aa. lenticulostriatae[4]) are a group of small arteries mostly arising from (the initial M1 part of) the middle cerebral artery that enter the brain through the anterior perforated substance to provide arterial supply to parts of the basal ganglia.[2] They are end arteries.[citation needed]
Blockage of the lenticulostriate arteries causes lacunar infarcts. These infarcts are most often due to hyaline arteriosclerosis secondary to hypertension. This can lead to contralateral paresis (muscular weakness) and/or sensory loss of the face and body.
The thalamoperforating arteries[7] are posteromedial central arteries[2] which supply parts of the thalamus.[2][8][4] According to the Medical Dictionary of the French Academy of Medicine, a single thalamoperforating artery arises from the (pre-communicating (P1) segment of) the posterior cerebral artery, piercing the anterior perforated substance to reach and supply the ventral portion of the thalamus.[8] The Sobotta Anatomy Textbook (2018) distinguishes an anterior thalamoperforating artery which arises from the posterior communicating artery and supplies the rostral portion of the thalamus, and a posterior thalamoperforating artery which supplies multiple nuclei of the thalamus.[4]
An embolus passing along a vertebral artery will typically continue into the basilar artery before finally lodging at the bifurcation of the basilar artery, thus bilaterally obstructing the PMCAs (as well as the superior cerebellar artery); such occlusion of the PMCAs will swiftly result in infarction of the reticular formation at the level of the mesencephalon-pons junction (resulting in coma) as well as destruction of the fibers of both oculomotor nerve (CN III) (resulting in divergence of both eyes, and fixed mydriasis).[5]: 377-378
An embolism of a single PMCA at mesencephalic levels may result in a small infarction of the mesencephalon, causing Weber's syndrome.[5]: 378
Posterolateral central arteries[13] (also posterolateral perforating arteries, or posterolateral ganglionic arteries) are arteries that arise from the posterior cerebral artery distal to its first - pre-communicating (P1) -segment (i.e. distal to the origin of the posterior communicating artery).[2]
^ abcdefghiWaschke, Jens; Böckers, Tobias M.; Paulsen, Friedrich; Arnold, Wolfgang; Bechmann, Ingo, eds. (2018). Sobotta Anatomy Textbook: English Edition with Latin Nomenclature (1st ed.). München: Elsevier. p. 622. ISBN978-0-7020-6760-0.
^ abcdefghiKiernan, John A.; Rajakumar, Nagalingam (2013). Barr's The Human Nervous System: An Anatomical Viewpoint (10th ed.). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. ISBN978-1-4511-7327-7.