A study on the microvasculature of the cerebral cortex. Fundamental architecture and its senile change in the frontal cortex.

The arterial architecture of the cerebral cortex and its changes along with aging were studied by microangiography, vascular staining, and scanning electron microscopy. The arteries distributed in the cerebral cortex and medulla were classified into cortical, subcortical, and medullary arteries. The cortical arteries were further classified into superficial, middle, and deep cortical branches according to the site of their termination. There were many fountain-like rami in the middle and deep cortical branches. These fountain-like rami were composed of several to many fine arteries, ramified from a small artery by repeated bifurcation within a short segment of its course. This structural pattern is probably responsible for the ease with which pronounced ischemic state may develop in their territories nourished by these branches, and they may play a significant role in the development of pseudolaminar necrosis of the cerebral cortex. Intertwining of small branches forming rope-like structures was observed with increasing frequency with age, suggesting that this phenomenon correlates with aging or is associated with brain atrophy. The intertwining was always clockwise when looking from the proximal side of the arteries towards their distal end. While the precise mechanism of the development of the intertwining remains unclear, torsion of the trunk of the blood vessels is thought to be the cause of the intertwining of the peripheral branches.