APA Dictionary of Psychology

a short blood vessel that connects the left and right sides of the anterior cerebral artery. Part of the circle of Willis, the anterior communicating artery passes in front of the optic chiasm and stretches across the beginning of the longitudinal fissure. Although its anatomy varies widely across individuals, the ACoA typically gives off two or three fine branches that supply oxygenated blood to the anterior commissure, caudate nucleus, cingulate cortex, corpus callosum, fornix, optic chiasm, septum pellucidum, and other structures within the basal forebrain and frontal lobes. The ACoA is one of the most common sites in the brain for the formation and subsequent rupture of aneurysms, the well-documented effects of which have been termed anterior communicating artery syndrome. These effects generally include problems with reasoning, abstraction, and other higher level cognitive processes (i.e., executive dysfunction), memory impairments, personality changes, and deficits in perceptual abilities and motor control.