Human cerebral arterial morphogenesis explored by 3D microscopic imaging of cleared embryos: Bridging the gap between embryonic and adult anatomy
The anatomy of cerebral arteries impacts cerebrovascular diseases, their management, and their prognosis. Postnatal cerebrovascular anatomy can be understood only through detailed knowledge of the developmental events leading to mature cerebral vessels. Current knowledge about human embryology relies on data collected in the first half of the 20th century using traditional histological methods. In this study, we provide a narrative description of human embryonic cerebral arterial development based on whole-mount immunostaining, tissue clearing, three-dimensional (3D) light sheet microscopy imaging, and anatomically informed virtual segmentation of human embryos. The findings are compared with adult radiological anatomy explored by magnetic resonance imaging and 3D digital subtraction angiography. We provide a detailed account of the development of cerebral arteries including the circle of Willis and its major branches, the vertebrobasilar circulation, the ophthalmic artery, and related vessels. Explanations for several anatomical variants are provided. Pediatric and adult anatomy in the context of brain arteriovenous and vein of Galen malformations is compared with embryological data. Finally, we provide a direct comparison of embryonic and adult anatomical nomenclatures and clarify the identity of homonymous arterial segments. These data shed new light on both embryonic development of cerebral arteries and postnatal anatomy.
Authors
- Raphaël Blain (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8552-0229)
- Quentin Rappeneau (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1501-0773)
- Daniel Smith‐Paredes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3108-1969)
- Maryne Toupin
- Yorick Gitton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6808-6010)
- M. Inoue (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4201-9215)
- Alain Chédotal (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7577-3794)
- Pierre‐Marie Chiaroni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3576-3203)
- Paolo Giacobini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3075-1441)
- Hugo Gortais (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4887-8130)
- Joséphine Blévinal (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5800-3102)
- Julien Burel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8726-265X)
- Diane Rebourcet (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7432-9269)
- Alexis Guédon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1309-235X)
- Stéphanie Lenck (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4952-8490)
- Philippe Gailloud (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0768-3273)
- Eimad Shotar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8712-8431)
- Armelle Lesaunier
- A. Favre
- Aymeric Nadjem (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6154-6376)
- Julien Allard
- Séverine Mazaud-Guittot
- Frédéric Glicenstein (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4318-3751)
- Erwah Kalsoum
- Kevin Premat
- Miccaella Vergara
- Olivier Naggara
- Gérard Couly
- Nermine Saidi
- Frédéric Clarençon
- Grégoire Boulouis
Institutions
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (FR)
- Université de Tours (FR)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Institut de la Vision (FR)
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- Inserm (FR)
- Université de Lille (FR)
- Johns Hopkins Medicine (US)
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Lille (FR)
- Sorbonne Université (FR)
- Hospices Civils de Lyon (FR)
- Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail (FR)
- Hôpital Lariboisière (FR)
- Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital (FR)
- Centre Hospitalier Sainte-Anne (FR)
- Hôpitaux de Saint Maurice (FR)
- Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale (FR)
- Université de Rennes (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Anatomy
- Published
- 2026-09-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.70224
- Primary Topic
- Moyamoya disease diagnosis and treatment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00