Carotid and cerebral arteriosclerosis in the rat.

• The importance of cerebral vascular disease is well known as is its increasing frequency in all age groups. Progress in the clinical management of cerebrovascular disease has stemmed from increasing appreciation of the significance of deranged function in the arteries of the head and neck.' 3 There is a growing realization that the cerebral arteries may have a different physiological and morphological pattern of response than other branches of the aorta. It has been recognized for some time that cerebral infarction or allied cerebrovascular diseases may best be correlated with arteriosclerosis in the cervical and vertebral arteries rather than with cerebral arteries proximal to the damaged brain tissue.' 6