SLP528 Neurology

Possible symptoms of a stroke:

• Numbness or weakness of the face, arm, and/or leg;

• Confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding speech 

• Difficulty seeing

• Trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance

• Sudden severe headache with no known cause

 

How can a Speech-Language Pathologist help?

 

A speech-language pathologist can diagnose and treat swallowing and communicative deficits that may result from a stroke depending on what area of the brain is affected.

 

There are two major arteries that supply the brain:

 

1) Internal carotid artery

2) Vertebral artery

 

Internal carotid artery: The internal carotid artery is a branch that supplies the brain with oxygenated blood. Each side of your face and neck has one internal carotid artery supplying blood to the brain. It travels up to the middle of the brain. The internal carotid artery comes directly off the aorta and branches off the common carotid artery. The internal carotid artery is a major artery of the brain and it’s very important because one of its branches supplies the areas responsible for speech and language.  

 

 

There are two major arteries that branch off the Internal carotid artery:

1) Middle cerebral artery

2) Anterior cerebral artery

 

The middle cerebral artery branches off frontal, parietal, and temporal branches supplying the primary and premotor cortices, frontal eye field, and the primary somatosensary area. The middle cerebral artery supplies blood to the perisylvian cortex. The perisylvian cortex consists of the language area. The perisylvian cortex is the area around the sylvian fissure, where Wernicke’s and Broca’s areas are located. The middle cerebral artery supplies blood to the lateral surface of the brain. Speech-language pathologists come across lots of patients with damage to the middle cerebral artery.

 

The anterior cerebral artery supplies the middle portion of the brain rising from the anterior side. The anterior artery supplies blood to the parietal temporal occipital sulcus, which are the leg areas of the motor strip.

 

The Internal artery: The internal carotid artery travels up toward the middle of the brain. As the internal carotid artery enters your brain, it rises off a branch called the anterior cerebral artery. The anterior cerebral artery is a branch of the internal carotid artery supplying the anterior, or front, portions of your brain with oxygenated blood. This artery is also important because it provides another passageway for your brain to receive blood just in case any of the other passageways are closed off.

 

The Vertebral artery: The vertebral artery supplies the posterior part of the brain. It supplies the spinal cord, medulla, and cerebellum. The vertebral arteries rise up the spinal column and the back of the neck to join the basilar artery. The cerebellum gets blood from the vertebral and basilar arteries.

 

When the basilar artery fuses together it joins a structure that looks like a circle. This is called the Circle of Willis.

 

There are 6 structures that form the Circle of Willis:

• Anterior communicating artery

• Anterior cerebral artery

• Internal carotid artery

• Posterior communicating artery

• Posterior cerebral artery

• Basilar artery

 

Why is the Circle of Willis so Important?

 

The Circle of Willis is often the site for aneurysms.

 

But...

 

Since the Circle of Willis is a round structure it can help prevent a lack of blood supply to any one area of the Circle of Willis. This is helpful in the case of someone who may suffer from a stroke or hemorrhage. There is more than one way for the blood to travel to its destination in case one artery is blocked.