9. The Cranium Flashcards
Function of skull
Provides support and protection for brain and spinal cord
What does it mean to say the skull is isotropic?
When a force is applied to the cranium, it radiates around the structure rather than focusing on one point
Layers of bones in skull and their composition
Inner table - compact bone
Diploe - similar to cancellous bone
Outer table - compact bone
What are wormian bones?
Extra irregular bones that occur within a suture in the cranium
What do extocranial and endocranial mean?
Extocranial - external skull
Endocranial - inner surface of skull
Cranial bones
Frontal Parietal (2) Occipital Temporal (2) Ethmoid Sphenoid
Facial bones
Maxillae (2) Palatines (2) Nasals (2) Lacrimals (2) Zygomatics (2) Vomer Inferior nasal conchae Mandible
Ear ossicles
Malleus
Incus
Stapes
Types of adult teeth
8 incisors
4 canines
8 premolars
12 molars
Where is the metopic suture?
Between frontal bones
Usually completely disappears
Retained metopic suture = non metric trait
Lambda
Meeting point of sagittal and lambdoid sutures
Bregma
Meeting point of coronal and sagittal sutures
Pterion
The region where frontal, parietal, temporal, sphenoid bones join together
Anterior cranial fossa
Consists of frontal, ethmoid and sphenoid bones
Middle cranial fossa
Consists of sphenoid and temporal bones
Contains pituitary and 4 foramen
Posterior cranial fossa
Consists of occipital and temporal bones
Articulations of frontal bone
Parietal Zygomatic Lacrimal Nasal Maxillae Sphenoid Ethmoid
Frontal bosses
Primary ossification centres
More prominent in females
Glabella
Brow ridge
Supraorbital margin
Superior half of orbital rim
Supraorbital formen/notch
Small groove at the superior/medial margin of orbit
Supraorbital nerve passes through
Frontal crest
Anchors falx cerebri
Falx cerebri
Large cresecent shaped fold of dura mater
Descends vertically in fissure between cerebral hemispheres of brain
Sagital sulcus
Groove left by sagital venous drainage structure in frontal bone
Arachnoid granulations
Projections from the arachnoid which create small holes in the inner surface of frontal bone
Articulations of parietal bone
Other parietal Sphenoid Occipital Temporal Frontal
Sagittal sinus
Runs alongside endocranial sagittal suture
Where are arachnoid granulations in the parietal bone?
Near the sagittal suture
Parietal striae
Distinct thin furrows along the squamosal border
Meningeal grooves
Created by meninges
In the parietal bone
Begin at front of bone and branch backwards getting thinner
How do you side the parietal bone?
90 degree angle at bregma
Middle meningeal vessel anteriorly is close to coronal suture
Articulations of temporal bone
Parietal Sphenoid Occipital Zygomatic Mandible
Petrous/mastoid portion of temporal bone
Houses internal auditory meatus
What does the internal auditory meatus allow?
The passage of CNVII and CNVIII
What does the mastoid process have?
Mastoid foramina
Mastoid notch
What passes through the mastoid foramina?
Occipital veins and arteries
What muscle attaches to the mastoid notch?
Digastric
What attaches to the supramastoid/supramental crests?
Posterior temporalis muscle
What is the glenoid fossa?
Found anterior to the external auditory meatus
Involved in temporomandibular joint
Styloid process of the temporal bone
Attachment site for muscles and ligaments including stylohyoid
Has styloid foramen