The anterior cerebral artery arises from the internal carotid artery under the front of the brain, joins its partner through the anterior communicating artery, then runs up into the cleft between the hemispheres and arches back over the corpus callosum. It supplies most of the midline (inner) face of the frontal lobe and the upper inner parietal lobe, and the front four-fifths of the corpus callosum. [1]
Lit: both anterior cerebral arteries, left and right: each trunk from the internal carotid (its first part, A1, is also a link of the circle of Willis), and the pericallosal, callosomarginal, medial frontobasal and precuneal branches the model draws. Every other artery shows in a darker colour. [2][1]
The 3D brain needs JavaScript. The text below still says where the anterior cerebral artery is and what it does.
Slice
Opens with the blood-supply layer on (about 0.8 MB) and a side (sagittal) slice near the midline, so the artery is seen arching over the corpus callosum along the inner face of the hemisphere. Drag to turn, pinch or scroll to zoom, tap any part to name it; .
The two anterior cerebral arteries arise from the internal carotid arteries, which enter the skull through the carotid canals, under the front of the brain. [1][3]
Its first part (A1) runs from the internal carotid to the anterior communicating artery, the short cross-link that joins the left and right arteries; the second (A2) runs from there up to where it splits into the pericallosal and callosomarginal arteries. [1]
The pericallosal artery (A3) runs back in the pericallosal sulcus, right on the corpus callosum, and ends as the internal parietal and precuneal arteries; the callosomarginal artery, a common end branch that splits off it, runs higher up on the inner face of the hemisphere. [1]
Two small branches leave near the anterior communicating artery: the recurrent artery of Heubner (distal medial striate artery), which turns back into the brain, and the orbitofrontal (medial frontobasal) artery to the underside of the frontal lobe; the frontopolar artery leaves further on, where A2 curves up over the corpus callosum. [1]
What it does
It supplies most midline (inner) portions of the frontal lobes and the upper inner parietal lobes, including the upper border of the frontal lobe. [1]
It supplies the front four-fifths of the corpus callosum, the band of fibres joining the two hemispheres. [1]
Deep: through the recurrent artery of Heubner and its other central branches it feeds the front limb of the internal capsule, part of the caudate nucleus and the front of the globus pallidus. [1]
Its first part is the front-side of the circle of Willis, so through the anterior communicating artery the left and right carotid supplies can reach each other. [4][1]
Other names
Often shortened to ACA (Latin: arteria cerebri anterior). Its parts are named A1 (to the anterior communicating artery), A2 (to the pericallosal–callosomarginal split) and A3 (the pericallosal artery). [1]
Size
On this model the left and right anterior cerebral arteries with their branches fit in a box about 114 mm front to back, 32 mm side to side and 59 mm top to bottom (the box they fit in, not their volume). [2]
Facts describe anatomy and normal function only. The 3D model is the adult male BodyParts3D brain (credits and licence); real brains vary in size and shape, so its measurements describe one model, not anyone’s brain.