The Axial Skeleton

Question 1

what does the axial skeleton include?

Answer 1

skull, vertebral column, ribs, and sternum

Question 2

What does the skull and vertebral column protect?

Answer 2

the CNS, brain, and spinal cord

Question 3

what else does the vertebral column do besides protect the spinal cord?

Answer 3

it is important to posture and locomotion because it has many attachments to muscles

Question 4

What do the ribs and sternum do?

Answer 4

protect the organs of the thoracic cavity and through their movements, play an important role in ventilating the lungs

Question 5

intervertebral discs

Answer 5

found in between the ~33 vertebrae of the vertebral column

Question 6

name the 5 regions of vertebrae

Answer 6

cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, coccygeal

Question 7

which two vertebrae regions curve like a D?

Answer 7

thoracic and sacral

Question 8

body of a vertebrae

Answer 8

the weight bearing region of the vertebra. they become larger in the lower regions of the vertebral column and bear more of the body’s weight

Question 9

vertebral foramen of a vertebae

Answer 9

location of the spinal cord

Question 10

spinous and transverse processes of a vertebrae

Answer 10

sites of muscle attachments

Question 11

articular processes of a vertebra

Answer 11

form joints with articular processes of adjacent vertebrae. restrict movement of vertebral column

Question 12

intervertebral foramina

Answer 12

above and below the pedicles of each vertebra a notch is carved out that allows for the passage of a spinal nerve

Question 13

atlas

Answer 13

first vertebrae. it has no vertebral body and serves to articulate with the skull. movement between the skull and C1 is in the sagittal plan (nod)

Question 14

axis

Answer 14

C2, it has a projection called the dens that fits into the large vertebral foramen of C1.

Question 15

What does the dens do?

Answer 15

prevent C1 from slipping posteriorly and allows rotation of head (shake)

Question 16

vertebra prominens

Answer 16

c& because of its long spinous process

Question 17

what is the most distinguishing feature of the thoracic vertebrae?

Answer 17

their articulation with ribs

Question 18

where are the largest vertebral bodies found?

Answer 18

on the lumbar vertebrae; they support a large amount of my body’s weight (no articulation with ribs)…they have strong stout transverse and sponous processes

Question 19

median sacral crest

Answer 19

the spinous processes of the sacral vertebral bodies fuse together

Question 20

alae

Answer 20

the transverse processes of the sacral vertebrae fuse together to form wings

Question 21

sacral canal

Answer 21

where the spinal nerves travel through the vertebral canal

Question 22

where do the spinal nerve branches exit in the sacrum?

Answer 22

through the 5 pairs of anterior and posterior sacral foramina

Question 23

coccyx

Answer 23

3-5 tail vertebrae fuse to form the tailbone

Question 24

name the parts of the sternum

Answer 24

manubrium (top), body, and xiphoid process (tip)

Question 25

head of a rib

Answer 25

where the articulation with the costal facet of a thoracic vertebral body occurs

Question 26

neck of a rib

Answer 26

the head tapers off to this. where a tubercle is present

Question 27

tubercle of a rib

Answer 27

articulates with the costal facet of a thoracic vertebra’s transverse process

Question 28

costal cartilage

Answer 28

where the ribs terminate. spans the gap to the sternum

Question 29

true ribs v false ribs

Answer 29

true ribs articulate directly with the sternum. false ribs connect to other costal cartilage or just float there (not attached to sternum)

Question 30

cranial sutures

Answer 30

form where adjacent bones fuse during development, only some are visible in adults

Question 31

cribiform plate

Answer 31

in the cranial cavity; part of the ethmoid bone that allows the passage of CN I from the nasal cavity to the olfactory bulb

Question 32

sphenoid bone

Answer 32

in the cranial cavity; sitting at the center of the skull, it houses the pituitary gland and the sphenoid sinus, forms the pterygoi processes for attachment of jaw muscles, and borders the orbit, cranial, and nasal cavities. it is visible from nearly any internal or external view of the skull

Question 33

sell turcica

Answer 33

in the cranial cavity; the part of the sphenoid bone that houses the pituitary gland. “turkish saddle”

Question 34

foramen magnum

Answer 34

in the cranial cavity; the brainstem exits the skull at this largest foramen

Question 35

internal acoustic meatus

Answer 35

in the cranial cavity; a passage for CN VIII from the inner ear to the brain

Question 36

what is housed in the orbit?

Answer 36

the eye, extranocular muscles, and associated neurovascular structures

Question 37

which six bones form the orbit?

Answer 37

frontal, zygomatic, maxillary, lacrimal, ethmoid, and sphenoid bone

Question 38

the roof of the oral cavity’s hard palate is formed by which two bones?

Answer 38

maxillary and palatine bones

Question 39

what separates the two nasal cavities?

Answer 39

nasal septum

Question 40

nasal conchae

Answer 40

bony spirals that project into the nasal cavities from their lateral walls. as air passes through and over these coils during ventilation, it is humidified and warmed by the ample mucous membranes

Question 41

parnasal sinuses

Answer 41

small cavities within the bones surrounding the nasal cavities. air-filled and lines with mucous membranes, the sinuses are connected to the nasal cavities

Question 42

hyoid bone

Answer 42

horseshoe-shaped bone that floats below the mandible, held together with ligamentous attachments to the styloid process of the skull and to the larynx. also has many other muscle attachments including some of the tongue

its purpose is to allow for muscular control of pharyngeal, laryngeal, and lingual processes