Stroke in the anterior cerebral artery (ACA) territory typically causes deficits in which region?

• A. Lower extremities
• B. Upper extremities
• C. Visual deficit
• D. Language deficit

Answer: (A)

The main idea is that the anterior cerebral artery runs along the medial surface of the frontal and parietal lobes, where the leg and foot areas of the primary motor and sensory cortex lie. So a stroke in this territory disrupts contralateral motor and sensory function more in the leg than in the arm or face, leading to weakness and sensory loss in the lower extremities. You may also see changes in behavior or personality due to frontal lobe involvement, but language and vision problems are less typical of ACA strokes. Language issues point toward the dominant hemisphere supplied by the middle cerebral artery, and visual field deficits usually come from the occipital region supplied by the posterior cerebral artery. Therefore, the region most commonly affected is the lower extremities.