Home > Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders > Cerebral Circulation

Definition

Cerebral circulation, the supply of blood to the brain

Understanding how the brain is supplied with blood is important because a significant number of neurological disorders that result in hospital admissions are due to problems with cerebral vascular disease. In some hospitals, nearly half the admissions due to neurologic disorders relate in some form to problems with cerebral circulation.

Insufficient supply of blood to the brain can cause fainting (syncope) or a more severe loss of consciousness. A continuous supply of highly oxygenated blood is critical to brain tissue function and a decrease in pressure or oxygenation (percentage of oxygen content) can cause tissue damage within minutes. Depending on a number of other physiological factors (e.g., temperature, etc.), brain damage or death may occur within two to 10...