Morphometry of the Brain Arterial Tree

Abstract

From casts of cat brain vessels, the branching angles and diameters of blood vessels at arterial bifurcations were measured. The results were compared with theoretical predictions based on the principle of minimum work in order to understand the physiological principle governing arterial branching. It was revealed that the branching angles measured have statistically significant correlations with relative sizes of parent and branch vessels, as predicted by the optimal theories. However, it was found that the arteries were well winding, and thereby the branching angles could be determined only in the neighborhood of branch points. This suggests that the branching angle of arterial bifurcation is governed by local factors.