The vascularization of the human cerebellar cortex

The blood vessels of the cerebellar cortex were studied by two methods of injection: india-ink and low viscosity resin (Mercox). The study is divided into two parts: (a) Pial vessels; few in number at the cerebellar surface, the pial vessels are quite dense, forming vascular laminae, within the sulci. Pial vessels do not frequently anastomose. (b) Intracortical vessels closely resemble those of the cerebral cortex. They may be divided into three categories: short, middle and long. There exist three vascular layers within the cerebellar cortex: superficial, middle and deep. The superficial vascular layer is situated within the molecular layer, the middle within the Purkinje cell layer, and the deep within the granular layer. It is therefore possible to establish a correlation between these vascular layers and the cortical cytoarchitecture. We accorded particular attention to the vascularization of the Purkinje cells. Arteries parallel to the cerebellar surface (parallel arteries) are in close relationship to the Purkinje cells whereas capillaries and veins are scarce. It is highly probable that the majority of Purkinje cells obtain nutritive elements by these parallel arteries. Possible implications in physiology and pathology are subsequently discussed.