Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart to the head and body. There are two carotid arteries (one on each side of the neck) that supply blood to the brain. The carotid arteries can be felt on each side of the lower neck, immediately below the angle of the jaw.

The carotid arteries supply blood to the large, front part of the brain, where thinking, speech, personality and sensory and motor functions reside.

(http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/heart/disorders/hic_Carotid_Artery_Disease)