Why are watershed areas in the brain important?

Watershed locations are those border-zone regions in the brain supplied by the major cerebral arteries where blood supply is decreased. Watershed strokes are a concern because they comprise approximately 10% of all ischemic stroke cases.

What is the watershed effect?

Watershed areas are at high risk during extreme drops of blood pressure. 1 If low blood flow to watershed areas lasts for longer than a few minutes, the tissues in the watershed areas begin to die, causing a stroke. Common triggers for watershed strokes include events that affect the blood supply to the brain.

What is watershed area brain?

Watershed cerebral infarctions, also known as border zone infarcts, occur at the border between cerebral vascular territories where the tissue is furthest from arterial supply and thus most vulnerable to reductions in perfusion.

Where are watershed areas located in the brain?

When watershed stroke occurs in the brain, it produces unique focal neurologic symptoms that aid clinicians in diagnosis and localization. For example, a cerebral watershed area is situated in the dorsal prefrontal cortex; when it is affected on the left side, this can lead to transcortical motor aphasia.

Is the cortical watershed the same as the internal watershed?

The former, superficial areas have been commonly referred to as the cortical watershed (CWS), and the latter have been referred to as the internal watershed (IWS).

Where are the association areas in the cerebral cortex?

The association areas are spread throughout the cerebral cortex in the four lobes. These areas act by integrating information from these brain regions, often adding more complexity to their functions. These association areas can also form connections to sensory and motor areas to give meaning to and organise information in these areas.

Which is part of the cerebral cortex is involved in speech?

Broca’s area, the motor speech area, is involved in translating thoughts into speech. Impulses from this area control the muscles of the larynx, pharynx and mouth that enable us to speak. The visual area receives visual stimuli and the visual association area helps to interpret those stimuli. It is also involved with memory and recognition.