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Abstract:
Introduction: In the past, the structural properties of the cerebral microvasculature have been analyzed using a wide range of anatomical methods, each revealing differential aspects of this system. Here, we used the corrosion cast technique to characterize the arrangement and organization of the blood vessels and the ratio of arteries and veins in different parts of the macaque’s brain.
Methods: Following standard perfusion with saline, two adult monkeys (Macaca nemestrina) were injected with Batson’s 17 resin. After polymerization the brains were extracted, deep-frozen and serial 5 mm thick slabs were cut coronally or horizontally with a dedicated tissue knife. The cut surface was matched with the monkey brain atlas (Saleem, 2006). The slabs were then macerated using 5 KOH until all tissue was removed, frozen in distilled water and trimmed with a sliding microtome to obtain an even surface. After complete drying, anatomical areas were identified and cut from the slabs, sputter coated with gold and imaged with the use of a scanning electron microscope.
Results: The general vascular organization was found to be very similar to that of the human brain as described by Duvernoy (1981). The same classes of vessels (depending on penetration depth and branching points) could be identified. The mean ratio of cortical arteries and veins was found to be 1: ~1.6, with arteries being the more numerous vessel type. The average irrigation volume of a large penetrating artery was estimated to be 0.44 mm*, whereas the draining volume of a large cortical vein was found to be 0.70 mm*. Different subcortical regions (e. g. LGN) could be identified solely on the basis of the arrangement of blood vessels that clearly followed the shape of the structure.
Discussion: The applied method allows for a qualitative description of the general organization principles of the brain’s vasculature, as well as for the estimation of the ratio between arterial and venous vessels.
