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{{Short description|Bony structure that forms the head in vertebrates}}
{{otherusesof|Skull}}{{redirect|Cranium}}
{{About|the skulls of all animals including humans||Skull (disambiguation)|and|Cranium (disambiguation)}}
]
{{Distinguish|Sköll}}
The '''skull''' is a ] structure found in many ]s which serves as the general framework for the ]. Those animals having skulls are called ]. The skull supports the structures of the ] and protects the ] against injury. The skull can be subdivided into two parts: the '''cranium''' and the '''mandible'''. A skull that is missing a mandible is only a cranium; this is the source of a very commonly made error in terminology.
{{Redirect|💀|the symbol|Skull and crossbones}}
Protection of the brain is only one part of the function of a bony skull. For example, a fixed distance between the eyes is essential for ], and a fixed position for the ears helps the brain to use auditory cues to judge direction and distance of sounds. In some animals, the skull also has a defensive function (e.g. horned ]): the ] is where horns are mounted.
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox anatomy
| Name = Skull
| System = ]
| image = VolRenderShearWarp.gif
| Caption = ] of a ] skull
| Image2 =
| Caption2 =
| IsPartOf =
| Components =
| Artery =
| Vein =
}}


The '''skull''', or '''cranium''', is typically a ] enclosure around the ] of a ].<ref name="NCI2024">{{cite web |title=Cranium |url=https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/cranium |website=www.cancer.gov |access-date=25 November 2024 |language=en |date=2 February 2011}}</ref><ref name="MW2024">{{cite web |title=Thesaurus results for Skull |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skull |website=www.merriam-webster.com |access-date=25 November 2024 |language=en |date=21 November 2024}}</ref> In some ], and ]s, the skull is of ]. The skull is at the ] end of the vertebrate.
==Human skulls==
{{main|Human skull}}
]
]


In the human the skull comprises two prominent parts: the ], and the ].<ref>{{Cite book|first1=Tim D. |last1=White |first2=Michael T. |last2=Black |first3=Pieter Arend |last3= Folkens|title=Human Osteology (3rd ed.)|publisher=Academic Press|date=2011-01-21|page =51|isbn =9780080920856|url =https://books.google.com/books?id=oCSG2mYlD90C&dq=Human+Osteology+Tim+D.+White+PAGE+51&pg=PP1}}</ref> which ]d from the ]. The skull forms the frontmost portion of the ] and is a product of ] and ] of the brain, with several ] structures such as the ]s, ]s, ], ] and in fish specialized ] ]s such as ]s near the mouth.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/science/cephalization|title=Cephalization: Biology|website=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160502000749/http://www.britannica.com/science/cephalization|archive-date=2 May 2016|url-status=live|access-date=23 April 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
In humans, the adult skull is normally made up of 22 ]. Except for the ], all of the bones of the skull are joined together by ], rigid articulations permitting very little movement. Eight bones form the ''neurocranium'' (braincase), a protective ]. Seventeen bones form the ''skunt'', the bones supporting the face. Encased within the ]s are the twenty ''ear ossicles'' of the ]s, though these are not part of the skull. The ], supporting the ], is usually not considered as part of the skull either, as it does not articulate with any other bones, though it may be considered a part of the skunt.


The skull is composed of three types of ]: cranial bones, ]s and ]s, which is made up of a number of fused ] and ]s. The cranial bones are joined at firm fibrous junctions called ] and contains many ], ], ], and ]. In ], the openings in the skull are called ]e, the most prominent of which is the ], where the ] goes through to join the ].
The skull contains the ], which are air-filled cavities lined with ], which also lines the large airways. The exact functions of the sinuses are unclear; they may contribute to lessening the weight of the skull with a minimal reduction in strength,or they may be important in improving the resonance of the voice. In some animals, such as the ], the sinuses are extensive. The elephant skull needs to be very large, to form an attachment for muscles of the neck and trunk, but is also unexpectedly light; the comparatively small brain-case is surrounded by large sinuses which reduce the weight.
The ] are the three layers, or membranes, which surround the structures of the ]. They are known as the ], the ] and the ]. Other than being classified together, they have little in common with each other.


In ], the ] (or braincase), is further divided into the ] and the ], together forming a ] that houses the brain. The interior ] forms part of the ], the ] and ] with the mandible being its largest bone. The mandible ]s with the ]s of the neurocranium at the paired ]s. The skull itself articulates with the ] at the ].
In humans, the ] for the skull is the ], where the lower margins of the ] and the upper borders of the ]s are all in a horizontal plane. This is the position where the subject is standing and looking directly forward. For comparison, the skulls of other species, notably ] and ], may sometimes be studied in the Frankfurt plane. However, this does not always equate to a natural posture in life.


Functions of the skull include physical protection for the brain, providing attachments for ] ]s, ] and ], providing fixed ]s and ]s (]s and ]s) to enable ] and ], forming ] and ] that allow better ], ] and ], and contributing to ] by ] within the cavities and sinuses. In some animals such as ]s and ]s, the skull also has a function in ] and ] by providing the foundation for ]s, ]s and ]s.
===Mid-facial Skeletal fracture===


The English word ''skull'' is probably derived from ] {{Lang|non|skulle}},<ref>{{Cite web|title=Definition of skull {{!}} Dictionary.com|url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/skull|access-date=2021-09-06|website=www.dictionary.com|language=en}}</ref> while the ] word {{Lang|la|cranium}} comes from the ] {{Lang|grc|κρανίον}} ({{Lang|grc-latn|kranion}}). The human skull fully develops two years after birth.
The mid facial skeleton is made up of a considerable number of bones which are rarely, if ever, fractured in isolation


{{toclimit|4}}
The structure is such that it is able to withstand considerable force from below, but the bones are easily fractured by relatively trivial forces applied from other directions


==Structure==
Analogous to a ‘matchbox’ sitting below and in front of a hard shell containing the brain and differs quite markedly from the rigid projection of the mandible below
=== Humans{{anchor|Structure_of_human_skull}} ===
{{about||details and the constituent bones|Neurocranium|and|Facial skeleton}}
]
]
]]]
]
]
The '''human skull''' is the bone structure that forms the ] in the ]. It supports the structures of the ] and forms a cavity for the ]. Like the skulls of other vertebrates, it protects the brain from injury.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NiTLf7g1n04C|title=Anatomy Coloring Workbook|last=Alcamo|first=I. Edward|date=2003|publisher=The Princeton Review|isbn=9780375763427|pages=22–25|language=en}}</ref>


The skull consists of three parts, of different ] origin—the ], the ], and the ]. The neurocranium (or ''braincase'') forms the protective ] that surrounds and houses the brain and ].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M8WgDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA2|title=Comprehensive and Clinical Anatomy of the Middle Ear|last1=Mansour|first1=Salah|last2=Magnan|first2=Jacques|last3=Ahmad|first3=Hassan Haidar|last4=Nicolas|first4=Karen|last5=Louryan|first5=Stéphane|date=2019|publisher=Springer|isbn=9783030153632|pages=2|language=en}}</ref> The upper areas of the ] form the ] (skullcap). The facial skeleton (membranous viscerocranium) is formed by the bones supporting the face, and includes the ].
===Le Fort I Fractures===


The bones of the skull are joined by ]s known as sutures—] (immovable) ]s formed by bony ], with ] permitting some flexibility. Sometimes there can be extra bone pieces within the suture known as ]s or ''sutural bones''. Most commonly these are found in the course of the ].
Low-level / Guerin type fractures


====Bones ====
Horizontal fracture of the maxilla immediately above the teeth and palate
{{main|Bone}}


The human skull is generally considered to consist of 22 bones—eight cranial bones and fourteen facial skeleton bones. In the neurocranium these are the ], two ]s, two ]s, the ], ] and ]s.
Piriform fossa across maxilla to pterygoid fissure


The bones of the ] (14) are the ], two ]e, two ]s, two ], the mandible, two ]s, two ]s, and two ]s. Some sources count a paired bone as one, or the maxilla as having two bones (as its parts); some sources include the ] or the three ] of the ], the malleus, incus, and stapes, but the overall general consensus of the number of bones in the human skull is the stated twenty-two.
May occur as a single entity or in association with le fort II and III fractures


Some of these bones—the occipital, parietal, frontal, in the neurocranium, and the nasal, lacrimal, and vomer, in the facial skeleton are ]s.
Not infrequently present in association with a downwardly displaced fracture of the ] complex


===Le Fort II Fractures=== ====Cavities and foramina====
]


The skull also contains ], air-filled cavities known as ], and numerous ]. The sinuses are lined with ]. Their known functions are the lessening of the weight of the skull, the aiding of resonance to the voice and the warming and moistening of the air drawn into the ].
Pyramidal or suprazygomatic fractures


The foramina are openings in the skull. The largest of these is the ], of the occipital bone, that allows the passage of the ] as well as ]s and ]s.
Fracture extends from ] of nose, across medial walls of orbit across the maxilla below the zygomatic bone to the pterygomaxillary fissure


===Le Fort III Fractures=== ====Processes====
The many ] of the skull include the ] and the ]es.


=== Other vertebrates ===
High level or suprazygomatic fractures
==== Fenestrae====
]
{|
|
The ] (from Latin, meaning ''windows'') are openings in the skull.
* ]
* ] fenestra
* ] fenestra
* ], an opening between two parts of the ] in some rodents
* ]
|}


==== Bones ====
The facial bones, including the zygomas are detached from the anterior cranial base
The ] is a skull bone that found in most of the reptiles, amphibians and birds. In mammals, the jugal is often called the zygomatic bone or malar bone.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dechow |first1=Paul C. |last2=Wang |first2=Qian |title=Evolution of the Jugal/Zygomatic Bones |journal=The Anatomical Record |date=January 2017 |volume=300 |issue=1 |pages=12–15 |doi=10.1002/ar.23519 }}</ref>


The ] is a bone that separates the lacrimal and frontal bones in many tetrapod skulls.
Fracture line extends from the dorsum of the nose and cribiform plate along the medial and up


====Fish====
the lateral wall of the orbit to the ZF suture
]


The skull of fish is formed from a series of only loosely connected bones. ]s and ]s only possess a cartilaginous endocranium, with both the upper jaw and the lower ]s being separate elements. Bony fishes have additional ], forming a more or less coherent ] in ] and ] fish. The lower jaw defines the chin.
==Animal skulls==
===Temporal Fenestra===
] skull shows it was a diapsid]]
The temporal ] are anatomical features of the ] skull, characterised by bilaterally symmetrical holes (fenestrae) in the temporal bone. Depending on the lineage of a given animal, two, one, or no pairs of temporal fenestrae may be present, above or below the ] and ] bones. The upper temporal fenestrae are also known as the supratemporal fenestrae, and the lower temporal fenestrae are also known as the infratemporal fenestrae. The presence and morphology of the temporal fenestra is critical for taxonomic classification of the synapsids, of which mammals are part.


The simpler structure is found in ], in which the cranium is normally represented by a trough-like basket of cartilaginous elements only partially enclosing the brain, and associated with the capsules for the inner ears and the single nostril. Distinctively, these fish have no jaws.<ref name="VB2" />
Physiological speculation associates it with a rise in metabolic rates and an increase in jaw musculature. The earlier amniotes of the Carboniferous did not have temporal fenestrae but the more advanced sauropsids and synapsids did. As time progressed, sauropsids' and synapsids' temporal fenestrae became more modified and larger to make stronger bites and more jaw muscles. Dinosaurs, which are sauropsids, have large advanced openings and their descendants, the birds, have temporal fenestrae which have been modified. Mammals, which are synapsids, possess no fenestral openings in the skull, as the trait has been modified. They do, though, still have the temporal orbit (which resembles an opening) and the temporal muscles. It is a hole in the head and is situated to the rear of the orbit behind the eye.


], such as sharks and rays, have also simple, and presumably primitive, skull structures. The cranium is a single structure forming a case around the brain, enclosing the lower surface and the sides, but always at least partially open at the top as a large ]. The most anterior part of the cranium includes a forward plate of cartilage, the ], and capsules to enclose the ] organs. Behind these are the orbits, and then an additional pair of capsules enclosing the structure of the ]. Finally, the skull tapers towards the rear, where the foramen magnum lies immediately above a single ], articulating with the first ]. There are, in addition, at various points throughout the cranium, smaller ] for the cranial nerves. The jaws consist of separate hoops of cartilage, almost always distinct from the cranium proper.<ref name="VB2">{{cite book |last1=Romer |first1=Alfred Sherwood |first2=Parsons |last2=Thomas S. |year=1977 |title=The Vertebrate Body |publisher=Holt-Saunders International |location= Philadelphia, PA |pages=173–177 |isbn= 0-03-910284-X}}</ref>
====Classification====
], are ]s]]
There are four types of amniote skull, classified by the number and location of their fenestra. These are:
* ]a - no openings
* ]a - one low opening (beneath the postorbital and squamosal bones)
* ] - one high opening (above the postorbital and squamosal bones); euryapsids actually evolved from a diapsid configuration, losing their lower temporal fenestra.
* ]a - two openings


]]]
Evolutionary, they are related like so:
*]
**Class ''']a''' - mammal-like reptiles
***Order ]
****Class ]ia - mammals
**Class ]a - reptiles
***Subclass ''']a'''
***(unranked) ]
****Subclass ''']a'''
*****(unranked) ''']'''
*****Class ] - birds


In ], there has also been considerable modification from the primitive pattern. The roof of the skull is generally well formed, and although the exact relationship of its bones to those of tetrapods is unclear, they are usually given similar names for convenience. Other elements of the skull, however, may be reduced; there is little cheek region behind the enlarged orbits, and little, if any bone in between them. The upper jaw is often formed largely from the ], with the maxilla itself located further back, and an additional bone, the symplectic, linking the jaw to the rest of the cranium.<ref name="VB"/>

Although the skulls of fossil lobe-finned fish resemble those of the early tetrapods, the same cannot be said of those of the living ]es. The ] is not fully formed, and consists of multiple, somewhat irregularly shaped bones with no direct relationship to those of tetrapods. The upper jaw is formed from the ]s and ]s alone, all of which bear teeth. Much of the skull is formed from ], and its overall structure is reduced.<ref name="VB" />

===Tetrapods===
The skulls of the earliest ]s closely resembled those of their ]s amongst the ]es. The ] is formed of a series of plate-like bones, including the maxilla, ], ]s, and ]s, among others. It is overlaying the ], corresponding to the cartilaginous skull in sharks and ]. The various separate bones that compose the temporal bone of humans are also part of the skull roof series. A further plate composed of four pairs of bones forms the roof of the mouth; these include the ] and ]s. The base of the cranium is formed from a ring of bones surrounding the foramen magnum and a median bone lying further forward; these are ] with the occipital bone and parts of the sphenoid in mammals. Finally, the lower jaw is composed of multiple bones, only the most anterior of which (the dentary) is homologous with the mammalian mandible.<ref name="VB">{{cite book |last1=Romer |first1=Alfred Sherwood |last2=Parsons |first2=Thomas S. |year=1977 |title=The Vertebrate Body |publisher=Holt-Saunders International |location= Philadelphia, PA |pages=216–247 |isbn=0-03-910284-X}}</ref>

In living tetrapods, a great many of the original bones have either disappeared or fused into one another in various arrangements.

====Birds====
]

]s have a ] skull, as in reptiles, with a prelacrimal fossa (present in some reptiles). The skull has a single occipital condyle.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/naturalhistoryof033252mbp|title=Natural History of Birds|last=Wing|first=Leonard W.|publisher=The Ronald Press Company|year=1956|pages=–23|chapter=The Place of Birds in Nature}}</ref> The skull consists of five major bones: the frontal (top of head), parietal (back of head), premaxillary and nasal (top beak), and the mandible (bottom beak). The skull of a normal bird usually weighs about 1% of the bird's total bodyweight. The eye occupies a considerable amount of the skull and is surrounded by a sclerotic eye-ring, a ring of tiny bones. This characteristic is also seen in reptiles.

====Amphibians====
]

Living ]s typically have greatly reduced skulls, with many of the bones either absent or wholly or partly replaced by cartilage.<ref name="VB" /> In mammals and birds, in particular, modifications of the skull occurred to allow for the expansion of the brain. The fusion between the various bones is especially notable in birds, in which the individual structures may be difficult to identify.

==Development==
]
The skull is a complex structure; its bones are formed both by ] and ]. The ] bones, comprising the bones of the facial skeleton and the sides and roof of the neurocranium, are ]s formed by intramembranous ossification, though the temporal bones are formed by endochondral ossification. The ], the bones supporting the brain (the occipital, ], and ]) are largely formed by endochondral ossification. Thus frontal and parietal bones are purely membranous.<ref>{{cite book|title=Human Embryology & Developmental Biology|last=Carlson|first=Bruce M.|publisher=Mosby|year=1999|isbn=0-8151-1458-3|edition=Second|pages=166–170}}</ref> The geometry of the ] and its ], the ], ] and ]e changes rapidly. The anterior cranial fossa changes especially during the ] of pregnancy and skull defects can often develop during this time.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Derkowski|first1=Wojciech|last2=Kędzia|first2=Alicja|last3=Glonek|first3=Michał|year=2003|title=Clinical anatomy of the human anterior cranial fossa during the prenatal period|url=http://www.fm.viamedica.pl/darmowy_pdf.phtml?indeks=25&indeks_art=369|url-status=dead|journal=Folia Morphologica|volume=62|issue=3|pages=271–3|pmid=14507064|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924041427/http://www.fm.viamedica.pl/darmowy_pdf.phtml?indeks=25&indeks_art=369|archive-date=24 September 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

At birth, the human skull is made up of 44 separate bony elements. During development, many of these bony elements gradually fuse together into solid bone (for example, the ]). The bones of the ] are initially separated by regions of dense ] called ]. There are six fontanelles: one anterior (or frontal), one posterior (or occipital), two sphenoid (or anterolateral), and two mastoid (or posterolateral). At birth, these regions are fibrous and moveable, necessary for birth and later growth. This growth can put a large amount of tension on the "obstetrical hinge", which is where the ] and ] of the occipital bone meet. A possible complication of this tension is rupture of the ]. As growth and ossification progress, the connective tissue of the fontanelles is invaded and replaced by bone creating ]s. The five sutures are the two ], one ], one ], and one ]. The posterior fontanelle usually closes by eight weeks, but the anterior fontanel can remain open up to eighteen months. The anterior fontanelle is located at the junction of the frontal and parietal bones; it is a "soft spot" on a baby's forehead. Careful observation will show that you can count a baby's heart rate by observing the pulse pulsing softly through the anterior fontanelle.

The skull in the ] is large in proportion to other parts of the body. The facial skeleton is one seventh of the size of the ]. (In the adult it is half the size). The ] is short and narrow, though the ] is almost adult size.<ref name="Human Anatomy Volume 3">{{cite book|title=BD Chaurasia's Human Anatomy: Regional and Applied Dissection and Clinical|last1=Chaurasia|first1=B. D.|publisher=CBS Publishers & Distributors|year=2013|isbn=978-81-239-2332-1|edition=Sixth|volume=3: Head–Neck Brain|pages=29–30}}</ref>

==Clinical significance==
] is a condition in which one or more of the fibrous ] in an infant skull prematurely fuses,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefetus.net/page.php?id=340|title=Cloverleaf skull or kleeblattschadel|last1=Silva|first1=Sandra|last2=Jeanty|first2=Philippe|date=1999-06-07|work=TheFetus.net|publisher=MacroMedia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080213205927/http://www.thefetus.net/page.php?id=340|archive-date=13 February 2008|url-status=dead|access-date=2007-02-03|df=dmy-all}}</ref> and changes the growth pattern of the skull.<ref name="Brief Review">{{cite journal|last1=Slater|first1=Bethany J.|last2=Lenton|first2=Kelly A.|last3=Kwan|first3=Matthew D.|last4=Gupta|first4=Deepak M.|last5=Wan|first5=Derrick C.|last6=Longaker|first6=Michael T.|date=April 2008|title=Cranial Sutures: A Brief Review|journal=]|volume=121|issue=4|pages=170e–8e|doi=10.1097/01.prs.0000304441.99483.97|pmid=18349596|s2cid=34344899}}</ref> Because the skull cannot expand perpendicular to the fused suture, it grows more in the parallel direction.<ref name="Brief Review" /> Sometimes the resulting growth pattern provides the necessary space for the growing brain, but results in an abnormal head shape and abnormal facial features.<ref name="Brief Review" /> In cases in which the compensation does not effectively provide enough space for the growing brain, craniosynostosis results in increased ] leading possibly to visual impairment, sleeping impairment, eating difficulties, or an impairment of mental development.<ref name="Intracranial pressure">{{cite journal|last1=Gault|first1=David T.|last2=Renier|first2=Dominique|last3=Marchac|first3=Daniel|last4=Jones|first4=Barry M.|date=September 1992|title=Intracranial Pressure and Intracranial Volume in Children with Craniosynostosis|journal=]|volume=90|issue=3|pages=377–81|doi=10.1097/00006534-199209000-00003|pmid=1513883}}</ref>

A ] is a phenomenon wherein intense intracranial pressure disfigures the internal surface of the skull.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://radiopaedia.org/articles/copper-beaten-skull|title=Copper beaten skull|last=Gaillard|first=Frank|website=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425234432/https://radiopaedia.org/articles/copper-beaten-skull|archive-date=25 April 2018|url-status=live|access-date=25 April 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The name comes from the fact that the inner skull has the appearance of having been beaten with a ], such as is often used by ]s. The condition is most common in children.

===Injuries and treatment===
Injuries to the brain can be life-threatening. Normally the skull protects the brain from damage through its high resistance to deformation; the skull is one of the least deformable structures found in nature, needing the force of about 1 ton to reduce its diameter by 1&nbsp;cm.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Holbourn|first=A. H. S.|date=9 October 1943|title=Mechanics of Head Injuries|journal=]|volume=242|issue=6267|pages=438–41|doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(00)87453-X}}</ref> In some cases of ], however, there can be raised ] through mechanisms such as a ]. In these cases, the raised intracranial pressure can cause herniation of the brain out of the foramen magnum ("coning") because there is no space for the brain to expand; this can result in significant ] or death unless an urgent operation is performed to relieve the pressure. This is why patients with ] must be watched extremely carefully. Repeated concussions can activate the structure of skull bones as the brain's protective covering.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://neurosciencenews.com/concussion-skull-thickening-21352/|title=Repeated Concussions Can Thicken the Skull|date=September 2, 2022}}</ref>

Dating back to ] times, a skull operation called ] was sometimes performed. This involved drilling a ''burr'' hole in the cranium. Examination of skulls from this period reveals that the patients sometimes survived for many years afterward. It seems likely that trepanning was also performed purely for ritualistic or religious reasons. Nowadays this procedure is still used but is normally called a ].

In March 2013, for the first time in the U.S., researchers replaced a large percentage of a patient's skull with a precision, ] ] ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.medicaldaily.com/3d-printed-polymer-skull-implant-used-first-time-us-244583|title=3D-Printed Polymer Skull Implant Used For First Time in US|date=7 March 2013|website=Medical Daily|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928042619/http://www.medicaldaily.com/3d-printed-polymer-skull-implant-used-first-time-us-244583|archive-date=28 September 2013|url-status=live|access-date=24 September 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> About 9 months later, the first complete cranium replacement with a 3D-printed plastic insert was performed on a Dutch woman. She had been suffering from ], which increased the thickness of her skull and compressed her brain.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2014/03/dutch_hospital_gives_patient_n/|title=Dutch hospital gives patient new plastic skull, made by 3D printer|date=26 March 2014|website=DutchNews.nl|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328121216/http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2014/03/dutch_hospital_gives_patient_n.php|archive-date=28 March 2014|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

A study conducted in 2018 by the researchers of ] in Boston, funded by ] (NIH), suggested that instead of travelling via ], there are "tiny channels" in the skull through which the ] combined with the ] reach the areas of ] after an injury to the brain tissues.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322901.php|title=Newly discovered skull channels play role in immunity|last=Cohut|first=Maria|date=29 August 2018|work=]|access-date=30 August 2018}}</ref>

===Transgender procedures===
Surgical alteration of ] skull features may be carried out as a part of ] or ], these reconstructive surgical procedures that can alter sexually dimorphic facial features to bring them closer in shape and size to facial features of the desired sex. <ref name="SpiegelQoL">{{cite journal|last1=Ainsworth|first1=Tiffiny A.|last2=Spiegel|first2=Jeffrey H.|year=2010|title=Quality of life of individuals with and without facial feminization surgery or gender reassignment surgery|journal=]|volume=19|issue=7|pages=1019–24|doi=10.1007/s11136-010-9668-7|pmid=20461468|s2cid=601504}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Shams|first1=Mohammad Ghasem|last2=Motamedi|first2=Mohammad Hosein Kalantar|date=9 January 2009|title=Case report: Feminizing the male face|journal=ePlasty|volume=9|pages=e2|pmc=2627308|pmid=19198644}}</ref> These procedures can be an important part of the treatment of ] people for ].<ref name="wpathMedNed">World Professional Association for Transgender Health. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930040306/http://www.wpath.org/documents/Med%20Nec%20on%202008%20Letterhead.pdf |date=30 September 2011 }} (2008).</ref><ref name="wpath2011">World Professional Association for Transgender Health. '' {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303035205/http://www.wpath.org/documents/Standards%20of%20Care%20V7%20-%202011%20WPATH.pdf |date=3 March 2012 }}'' pg. 58 (2011).</ref>

==Society and culture==
]. Silk embroidery (17th century).]]

] is a largely historical practice of some cultures. Cords and wooden boards would be used to apply pressure to an infant's skull and alter its shape, sometimes quite significantly. This procedure would begin just after birth and would be carried on for several years.{{Citation needed|date=December 2018}}

===Osteology===
Like the face, the skull and teeth can also indicate a person's life history and origin. ] scientists and ]s use quantitative and qualitative traits to estimate what the bearer of the skull looked like. When a significant amount of bones are found, such as at ] in the UK and ] ]s in Japan, ] can use traits, such as the proportions of length, height and width, to know the relationships of the population of the study with other living or extinct populations.{{Citation needed|date=December 2018}}

The German physician ] in around 1800 formulated the theory of ], which attempted to show that specific features of the skull are associated with certain personality traits or intellectual capabilities of its owner. His theory is now considered to be ].{{Citation needed|date=December 2018}}

===Sexual dimorphism===
{{main|Sexual dimorphism}}
{{unreliable sources|section|date=November 2022}}
In the mid-nineteenth century, ]s found it crucial to distinguish between male and female skulls. An anthropologist of the time, ], argued that the female brain was similar to that of an animal.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Fee|first=Elizabeth|date=Fall 1979|title=Nineteenth-Century Craniology: The Study of the Female Skull|journal=]|volume=53|issue=3|pages=415–33|pmid=394780}}</ref> This allowed anthropologists to declare that women were in fact more emotional and less rational than men. McGrigor then concluded that women's brains were more analogous to infants, thus deeming them inferior at the time.<ref name=":0" /> To further these claims of female inferiority and silence the feminists of the time, other anthropologists joined in on the studies of the female skull. These cranial measurements are the basis of what is known as ]. These cranial measurements were also used to draw a connection between women and black people.<ref name=":0" />

Research has shown that while in early life there is little difference between male and female skulls, in adulthood male skulls tend to be larger and more robust than female skulls, which are lighter and smaller, with a cranial capacity about 10 percent less than that of the male.<ref name="The Interior of the Skull">{{cite web|url=https://www.theodora.com/anatomy/the_interior_of_the_skull.html|title=5d. The Interior of the Skull|work=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331060529/http://www.theodora.com/anatomy/the_interior_of_the_skull.html|archive-date=31 March 2014|url-status=live|access-date=22 October 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref> However, later studies show that women's skulls are slightly thicker and thus men may be more susceptible to head injury than women.<ref>Other Sources:
* {{cite journal |last1=Li |first1=Haiyan |last2=Ruan |first2=Jesse |last3=Xie |first3=Zhonghua |last4=Wang |first4=Hao |last5=Liu |first5=Wengling |title=Investigation of the critical geometric characteristics of living human skulls utilising medical image analysis techniques |journal=International Journal of Vehicle Safety |date=2007 |volume=2 |issue=4 |pages=345 |doi=10.1504/IJVS.2007.016747}}
* name="Men May Be More Susceptible To Head Injury Than Women, Study Suggests">{{cite web|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080121122138.htm|title=Men May Be More Susceptible To Head Injury Than Women, Study Suggests|date=22 January 2008|work=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307191220/http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080121122138.htm|archive-date=7 March 2012|url-status=live|access-date=6 June 2012|df=dmy-all}}
* {{Cite journal|last1=De Boer|first1=H. H. (Hans)|last2=Van der Merwe|first2=A. E. (Lida)|last3=Soerdjbalie-Maikoe|first3=V. (Vidija)|date=September 2016|title=Human cranial vault thickness in a contemporary sample of 1097 autopsy cases: relation to body weight, stature, age, sex and ancestry|journal=International Journal of Legal Medicine|language=en|volume=130|issue=5|pages=1371–1377|doi=10.1007/s00414-016-1324-5|pmid=26914798|pmc=4976057|issn=0937-9827|doi-access=free}}
* {{Cite journal|last1=Ross|first1=M. D.|last2=Lee|first2=K. A.|last3=Castle|first3=W. M.|date=1976-04-10|title=Skull thickness of Black and White races|url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1224277/|journal=South African Medical Journal = Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Geneeskunde|volume=50|issue=16|pages=635–638|issn=0256-9574|pmid=1224277}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Adeloye |first1=Adelola |last2=Kattan |first2=Kenneth R. |last3=Silverman |first3=Frederic N. |title=Thickness of the normal skull in the American blacks and whites |journal=American Journal of Physical Anthropology |date=July 1975 |volume=43 |issue=1 |pages=23–30 |doi=10.1002/ajpa.1330430105|pmid=1155589 }}
* {{Cite web|title=International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences|url=https://www.msjonline.org/index.php/ijrms/index|access-date=2021-02-18|website=www.msjonline.org}}
* {{Cite journal|last1=Ekşi|first1=Murat Şakir|last2=Güdük|first2=Mustafa|last3=Usseli|first3=Murat Imre|date=2020-11-19|title=Frontal Bone is Thicker in Women and Frontal Sinus is Larger in Men: A Morphometric Analysis|url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33229988/|journal=The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery|volume=32|issue=5|pages=1683–1684|doi=10.1097/SCS.0000000000007256|issn=1536-3732|pmid=33229988|s2cid=227159148}}</ref> However, other studies shows that men's skulls are slightly thicker in certain areas.<ref>{{Cite journal|doi = 10.1186/1746-160X-1-13|title = Thickness of the human cranial diploe in relation to age, sex and general body build|year = 2005|last1 = Lynnerup|first1 = Niels|last2 = Astrup|first2 = Jacob G.|last3 = Sejrsen|first3 = Birgitte|journal = Head & Face Medicine|volume = 1|page = 13|pmid = 16364185|pmc = 1351187 | doi-access=free }}</ref> Some studies show that females are more susceptible to concussion than males.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/S15324826AN1001_2|doi = 10.1207/S15324826AN1001_2|title = Current Issues in the Identification, Assessment, and Management of Concussions in Sports-Related Injuries|year = 2003|last1 = McKeever|first1 = Catherine K.|last2 = Schatz|first2 = Philip|journal = Applied Neuropsychology|volume = 10|issue = 1|pages = 4–11|pmid = 12734070|s2cid = 33825332}}</ref> Men's skulls have also been shown to maintain density with age, which may aid in preventing head injury, while women's skull density slightly decreases with age.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lillie|first1=Elizabeth M.|last2=Urban|first2=Jillian E.|last3=Lynch|first3=Sarah K.|last4=Weaver|first4=Ashley A.|last5=Stitzel|first5=Joel D.|date=2016|title=Evaluation of Skull Cortical Thickness Changes With Age and Sex From Computed Tomography Scans|journal=Journal of Bone and Mineral Research|language=en|volume=31|issue=2|pages=299–307|doi=10.1002/jbmr.2613|pmid=26255873|issn=1523-4681|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|s2cid=39294670|doi=10.1007/s00414-010-0544-3|title=Age and gender-dependent bone density changes of the human skull disclosed by high-resolution flat-panel computed tomography|year=2011|last1=Schulte-Geers|first1=Christina|last2=Obert|first2=Martin|last3=Schilling|first3=René L.|last4=Harth|first4=Sebastian|last5=Traupe|first5=Horst|last6=Gizewski|first6=Elke R.|last7=Verhoff|first7=Marcel A.|journal=International Journal of Legal Medicine|volume=125|issue=3|pages=417–425|pmid=21234583}}</ref>

Male skulls can all have more prominent ]s, ], and ]. Female skulls generally have rounder ]s and narrower jaws. Male skulls on average have larger, broader ]s, squarer orbits, larger ]es, larger ]es, and larger ]s than those of females. Male mandibles typically have squarer chins and thicker, rougher muscle attachments than female mandibles.<ref>{{cite journal | pmc=3919368 | date=2013 | last1=G. | first1=V. | last2=Gowri s.r. | first2=M. | last3=J. | first3=A. | title=Sex Determination of Human Mandible Using Metrical Parameters | journal=Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research| volume=7 | issue=12 | pages=2671–2673 | doi=10.7860/JCDR/2013/7621.3728 | pmid=24551607 }}</ref>

===Craniometry===
The ] is the ratio of the width of the head, multiplied by 100 and divided by its length (front to back). The index is also used to categorize animals, especially dogs and cats. The width is usually measured just below the ], and the length from the ] to the occipital point.

Humans may be:
* ''Dolichocephalic'' — long-headed
* ''Mesaticephalic'' — medium-headed
* ''Brachycephalic'' — short-headed<ref name="Human Anatomy Volume 3"/>
The ] refers to the ratio between the height of the head multiplied by 100 and divided by the length of the head.

Humans may be:
* ''Chamaecranic'' — low-skulled
* ''Orthocranic'' — medium high-skulled
* ''Hypsicranic'' — high-skulled

== Terminology ==
* ], a primitive cartilaginous skeletal structure
* ]
* ]
* ], a membrane that lines the outer surface of the cranium

==History==
], a practice in which a hole is created in the skull, has been described as the oldest surgical procedure for which there is ] evidence,<ref>{{Cite book |author=Capasso, Luigi |year=2002 |title=Principi di storia della patologia umana: corso di storia della medicina per gli studenti della Facoltà di medicina e chirurgia e della Facoltà di scienze infermieristiche |location=Rome |publisher=SEU |isbn=978-88-87753-65-3 |oclc=50485765 |language=it}}</ref> found in the forms of cave paintings and human remains. At one burial site in ] dated to 6500 BCE, 40 out of 120 ] skulls found had trepanation holes.<ref name="restak2000">{{cite book |author=Restak, Richard|chapter=Fixing the Brain |title=Mysteries of the Mind |publisher=National Geographic Society |location=Washington, D.C. |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-7922-7941-9 |oclc=43662032}}</ref>

== Additional images ==
<gallery> <gallery>
File:African elephant skull - Cleveland Museum of Natural History - 2014-12-26 (21054840471).jpg|] skull in the ]
Image:Hippo skull dark.jpg|A ]' skull
Image:Trex skull.gif|A ] skull File:VautourCrane2.jpg|] skull
Image:Felis catus-skull-drawing.jpg|A ] skull, a typical skull of a ] File:Ophiophagus hannah skull.jpg|] skull
File:Goat skull-FMVZ USP-18.jpeg|Goat skull
Image:Nutriaschädel.jpg|A ] skull, a typical rodent
File:Tiktaalik skull front.jpg|Skull of '']'', an extinct genus transitional between ] and early tetrapods
Image:Bulldog-skull.JPG|A ] skull
Image:George's skull1.jpg|A ] skull File:Centrosaurus.JPG|'']'' skull
</gallery> </gallery>


== See also == ==See also==
{{Anatomy-terms}}
*]
<!-- Please keep entries in alphabetical order & add a short description ] -->
*]
{{div col|small=yes|colwidth=20em}}
*]
*]
*] *]
*]
*], the pseudoscientific process of determining personality from the shape of the head.
*] *]
*], the abnormal flattening of one side of the skull
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
{{div col end}}
<!-- please keep entries in alphabetical order -->


==References== == References ==
{{Gray's}}
*White, T.D. 1991. Human osteology. Academic Press, Inc. San Diego, CA.
{{reflist}}


==External links== == External links ==
{{commons category multi|Animal skulls|Human skulls}}
{{commonscat|Skulls}}
{{Wiktionary}} {{Wiktionary}}
* (] Department of Anthology)
* (Over 300 animal skull images compiled by U.S. high-school teacher)
* (])
* (commercial supplier)
* Bird skull database with very large collection of skulls (Agricultural University of Wageningen)
*
* * (in German)
* (PDF; 502&nbsp;kB)
*
*


{{Cranial fibrous joints}}
]
{{Cranium}}
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] {{Facial bones}}
{{Compound structures of skull}}
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{{Human systems and organs}}
{{Authority control}}


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Latest revision as of 20:25, 4 December 2024

Bony structure that forms the head in vertebrates This article is about the skulls of all animals including humans. For other uses, see Skull (disambiguation) and Cranium (disambiguation). Not to be confused with Sköll. "💀" redirects here. For the symbol, see Skull and crossbones.

Skull
Volume rendering of a mouse skull
Details
SystemSkeletal system
Identifiers
MeSHD012886
FMA54964
Anatomical terminology[edit on Wikidata]

The skull, or cranium, is typically a bony enclosure around the brain of a vertebrate. In some fish, and amphibians, the skull is of cartilage. The skull is at the head end of the vertebrate.

In the human the skull comprises two prominent parts: the neurocranium, and the facial skeleton. which evolved from the first pharyngeal arch. The skull forms the frontmost portion of the axial skeleton and is a product of cephalization and vesicular enlargement of the brain, with several special senses structures such as the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and in fish specialized tactile organs such as barbels near the mouth.

The skull is composed of three types of bone: cranial bones, facial bones and ossicles, which is made up of a number of fused flat and irregular bones. The cranial bones are joined at firm fibrous junctions called sutures and contains many foramina, fossae, processes, and sinuses. In zoology, the openings in the skull are called fenestrae, the most prominent of which is the foramen magnum, where the brainstem goes through to join the spinal cord.

In human anatomy, the neurocranium (or braincase), is further divided into the calvarium and the endocranium, together forming a cranial cavity that houses the brain. The interior periosteum forms part of the dura mater, the facial skeleton and splanchnocranium with the mandible being its largest bone. The mandible articulates with the temporal bones of the neurocranium at the paired temporomandibular joints. The skull itself articulates with the spinal column at the atlanto-occipital joint.

Functions of the skull include physical protection for the brain, providing attachments for neck muscles, facial muscles and muscles of mastication, providing fixed eye sockets and outer ears (ear canals and auricles) to enable stereoscopic vision and sound localisation, forming nasal and oral cavities that allow better olfaction, taste and digestion, and contributing to phonation by acoustic resonance within the cavities and sinuses. In some animals such as ungulates and elephants, the skull also has a function in anti-predator defense and sexual selection by providing the foundation for horns, antlers and tusks.

The English word skull is probably derived from Old Norse skulle, while the Latin word cranium comes from the Greek root κρανίον (kranion). The human skull fully develops two years after birth.

Structure

Humans

For details and the constituent bones, see Neurocranium and Facial skeleton.
Skull in situ
Human head skull from side
Anatomy of a flat bone – the periosteum of the neurocranium is known as the pericranium
Human skull from the front
Side bones of skull

The human skull is the bone structure that forms the head in the human skeleton. It supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain. Like the skulls of other vertebrates, it protects the brain from injury.

The skull consists of three parts, of different embryological origin—the neurocranium, the sutures, and the facial skeleton. The neurocranium (or braincase) forms the protective cranial cavity that surrounds and houses the brain and brainstem. The upper areas of the cranial bones form the calvaria (skullcap). The facial skeleton (membranous viscerocranium) is formed by the bones supporting the face, and includes the mandible.

The bones of the skull are joined by fibrous joints known as sutures—synarthrodial (immovable) joints formed by bony ossification, with Sharpey's fibres permitting some flexibility. Sometimes there can be extra bone pieces within the suture known as Wormian bones or sutural bones. Most commonly these are found in the course of the lambdoid suture.

Bones

Main article: Bone

The human skull is generally considered to consist of 22 bones—eight cranial bones and fourteen facial skeleton bones. In the neurocranium these are the occipital bone, two temporal bones, two parietal bones, the sphenoid, ethmoid and frontal bones.

The bones of the facial skeleton (14) are the vomer, two inferior nasal conchae, two nasal bones, two maxilla, the mandible, two palatine bones, two zygomatic bones, and two lacrimal bones. Some sources count a paired bone as one, or the maxilla as having two bones (as its parts); some sources include the hyoid bone or the three ossicles of the middle ear, the malleus, incus, and stapes, but the overall general consensus of the number of bones in the human skull is the stated twenty-two.

Some of these bones—the occipital, parietal, frontal, in the neurocranium, and the nasal, lacrimal, and vomer, in the facial skeleton are flat bones.

Cavities and foramina

CT scan of a human skull in 3D

The skull also contains sinuses, air-filled cavities known as paranasal sinuses, and numerous foramina. The sinuses are lined with respiratory epithelium. Their known functions are the lessening of the weight of the skull, the aiding of resonance to the voice and the warming and moistening of the air drawn into the nasal cavity.

The foramina are openings in the skull. The largest of these is the foramen magnum, of the occipital bone, that allows the passage of the spinal cord as well as nerves and blood vessels.

Processes

The many processes of the skull include the mastoid process and the zygomatic processes.

Other vertebrates

Fenestrae

Chimpanzee skull

The fenestrae (from Latin, meaning windows) are openings in the skull.

Bones

The jugal is a skull bone that found in most of the reptiles, amphibians and birds. In mammals, the jugal is often called the zygomatic bone or malar bone.

The prefrontal bone is a bone that separates the lacrimal and frontal bones in many tetrapod skulls.

Fish

Fish head parts, 1889, Fauna of British India, Sir Francis Day

The skull of fish is formed from a series of only loosely connected bones. Lampreys and sharks only possess a cartilaginous endocranium, with both the upper jaw and the lower jaws being separate elements. Bony fishes have additional dermal bone, forming a more or less coherent skull roof in lungfish and holost fish. The lower jaw defines the chin.

The simpler structure is found in jawless fish, in which the cranium is normally represented by a trough-like basket of cartilaginous elements only partially enclosing the brain, and associated with the capsules for the inner ears and the single nostril. Distinctively, these fish have no jaws.

Cartilaginous fish, such as sharks and rays, have also simple, and presumably primitive, skull structures. The cranium is a single structure forming a case around the brain, enclosing the lower surface and the sides, but always at least partially open at the top as a large fontanelle. The most anterior part of the cranium includes a forward plate of cartilage, the rostrum, and capsules to enclose the olfactory organs. Behind these are the orbits, and then an additional pair of capsules enclosing the structure of the inner ear. Finally, the skull tapers towards the rear, where the foramen magnum lies immediately above a single condyle, articulating with the first vertebra. There are, in addition, at various points throughout the cranium, smaller foramina for the cranial nerves. The jaws consist of separate hoops of cartilage, almost always distinct from the cranium proper.

Skull of a swordfish

In ray-finned fish, there has also been considerable modification from the primitive pattern. The roof of the skull is generally well formed, and although the exact relationship of its bones to those of tetrapods is unclear, they are usually given similar names for convenience. Other elements of the skull, however, may be reduced; there is little cheek region behind the enlarged orbits, and little, if any bone in between them. The upper jaw is often formed largely from the premaxilla, with the maxilla itself located further back, and an additional bone, the symplectic, linking the jaw to the rest of the cranium.

Although the skulls of fossil lobe-finned fish resemble those of the early tetrapods, the same cannot be said of those of the living lungfishes. The skull roof is not fully formed, and consists of multiple, somewhat irregularly shaped bones with no direct relationship to those of tetrapods. The upper jaw is formed from the pterygoids and vomers alone, all of which bear teeth. Much of the skull is formed from cartilage, and its overall structure is reduced.

Tetrapods

The skulls of the earliest tetrapods closely resembled those of their ancestors amongst the lobe-finned fishes. The skull roof is formed of a series of plate-like bones, including the maxilla, frontals, parietals, and lacrimals, among others. It is overlaying the endocranium, corresponding to the cartilaginous skull in sharks and rays. The various separate bones that compose the temporal bone of humans are also part of the skull roof series. A further plate composed of four pairs of bones forms the roof of the mouth; these include the vomer and palatine bones. The base of the cranium is formed from a ring of bones surrounding the foramen magnum and a median bone lying further forward; these are homologous with the occipital bone and parts of the sphenoid in mammals. Finally, the lower jaw is composed of multiple bones, only the most anterior of which (the dentary) is homologous with the mammalian mandible.

In living tetrapods, a great many of the original bones have either disappeared or fused into one another in various arrangements.

Birds

Cuckoo skull

Birds have a diapsid skull, as in reptiles, with a prelacrimal fossa (present in some reptiles). The skull has a single occipital condyle. The skull consists of five major bones: the frontal (top of head), parietal (back of head), premaxillary and nasal (top beak), and the mandible (bottom beak). The skull of a normal bird usually weighs about 1% of the bird's total bodyweight. The eye occupies a considerable amount of the skull and is surrounded by a sclerotic eye-ring, a ring of tiny bones. This characteristic is also seen in reptiles.

Amphibians

Amphibians' skulls, Hans Gadow, 1909 Amphibia and Reptiles

Living amphibians typically have greatly reduced skulls, with many of the bones either absent or wholly or partly replaced by cartilage. In mammals and birds, in particular, modifications of the skull occurred to allow for the expansion of the brain. The fusion between the various bones is especially notable in birds, in which the individual structures may be difficult to identify.

Development

Skull of a new-born child from the side

The skull is a complex structure; its bones are formed both by intramembranous and endochondral ossification. The skull roof bones, comprising the bones of the facial skeleton and the sides and roof of the neurocranium, are dermal bones formed by intramembranous ossification, though the temporal bones are formed by endochondral ossification. The endocranium, the bones supporting the brain (the occipital, sphenoid, and ethmoid) are largely formed by endochondral ossification. Thus frontal and parietal bones are purely membranous. The geometry of the skull base and its fossae, the anterior, middle and posterior cranial fossae changes rapidly. The anterior cranial fossa changes especially during the first trimester of pregnancy and skull defects can often develop during this time.

At birth, the human skull is made up of 44 separate bony elements. During development, many of these bony elements gradually fuse together into solid bone (for example, the frontal bone). The bones of the roof of the skull are initially separated by regions of dense connective tissue called fontanelles. There are six fontanelles: one anterior (or frontal), one posterior (or occipital), two sphenoid (or anterolateral), and two mastoid (or posterolateral). At birth, these regions are fibrous and moveable, necessary for birth and later growth. This growth can put a large amount of tension on the "obstetrical hinge", which is where the squamous and lateral parts of the occipital bone meet. A possible complication of this tension is rupture of the great cerebral vein. As growth and ossification progress, the connective tissue of the fontanelles is invaded and replaced by bone creating sutures. The five sutures are the two squamous sutures, one coronal, one lambdoid, and one sagittal suture. The posterior fontanelle usually closes by eight weeks, but the anterior fontanel can remain open up to eighteen months. The anterior fontanelle is located at the junction of the frontal and parietal bones; it is a "soft spot" on a baby's forehead. Careful observation will show that you can count a baby's heart rate by observing the pulse pulsing softly through the anterior fontanelle.

The skull in the neonate is large in proportion to other parts of the body. The facial skeleton is one seventh of the size of the calvaria. (In the adult it is half the size). The base of the skull is short and narrow, though the inner ear is almost adult size.

Clinical significance

Craniosynostosis is a condition in which one or more of the fibrous sutures in an infant skull prematurely fuses, and changes the growth pattern of the skull. Because the skull cannot expand perpendicular to the fused suture, it grows more in the parallel direction. Sometimes the resulting growth pattern provides the necessary space for the growing brain, but results in an abnormal head shape and abnormal facial features. In cases in which the compensation does not effectively provide enough space for the growing brain, craniosynostosis results in increased intracranial pressure leading possibly to visual impairment, sleeping impairment, eating difficulties, or an impairment of mental development.

A copper beaten skull is a phenomenon wherein intense intracranial pressure disfigures the internal surface of the skull. The name comes from the fact that the inner skull has the appearance of having been beaten with a ball-peen hammer, such as is often used by coppersmiths. The condition is most common in children.

Injuries and treatment

Injuries to the brain can be life-threatening. Normally the skull protects the brain from damage through its high resistance to deformation; the skull is one of the least deformable structures found in nature, needing the force of about 1 ton to reduce its diameter by 1 cm. In some cases of head injury, however, there can be raised intracranial pressure through mechanisms such as a subdural haematoma. In these cases, the raised intracranial pressure can cause herniation of the brain out of the foramen magnum ("coning") because there is no space for the brain to expand; this can result in significant brain damage or death unless an urgent operation is performed to relieve the pressure. This is why patients with concussion must be watched extremely carefully. Repeated concussions can activate the structure of skull bones as the brain's protective covering.

Dating back to Neolithic times, a skull operation called trepanning was sometimes performed. This involved drilling a burr hole in the cranium. Examination of skulls from this period reveals that the patients sometimes survived for many years afterward. It seems likely that trepanning was also performed purely for ritualistic or religious reasons. Nowadays this procedure is still used but is normally called a craniectomy.

In March 2013, for the first time in the U.S., researchers replaced a large percentage of a patient's skull with a precision, 3D-printed polymer implant. About 9 months later, the first complete cranium replacement with a 3D-printed plastic insert was performed on a Dutch woman. She had been suffering from hyperostosis, which increased the thickness of her skull and compressed her brain.

A study conducted in 2018 by the researchers of Harvard Medical School in Boston, funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH), suggested that instead of travelling via blood, there are "tiny channels" in the skull through which the immune cells combined with the bone marrow reach the areas of inflammation after an injury to the brain tissues.

Transgender procedures

Surgical alteration of sexually dimorphic skull features may be carried out as a part of facial feminization surgery or facial masculinization surgery, these reconstructive surgical procedures that can alter sexually dimorphic facial features to bring them closer in shape and size to facial features of the desired sex. These procedures can be an important part of the treatment of transgender people for gender dysphoria.

Society and culture

Adam was believed to have been buried on Mount Calvary. Silk embroidery (17th century).

Artificial cranial deformation is a largely historical practice of some cultures. Cords and wooden boards would be used to apply pressure to an infant's skull and alter its shape, sometimes quite significantly. This procedure would begin just after birth and would be carried on for several years.

Osteology

Like the face, the skull and teeth can also indicate a person's life history and origin. Forensic scientists and archaeologists use quantitative and qualitative traits to estimate what the bearer of the skull looked like. When a significant amount of bones are found, such as at Spitalfields in the UK and Jōmon shell mounds in Japan, osteologists can use traits, such as the proportions of length, height and width, to know the relationships of the population of the study with other living or extinct populations.

The German physician Franz Joseph Gall in around 1800 formulated the theory of phrenology, which attempted to show that specific features of the skull are associated with certain personality traits or intellectual capabilities of its owner. His theory is now considered to be pseudoscientific.

Sexual dimorphism

Main article: Sexual dimorphism
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In the mid-nineteenth century, anthropologists found it crucial to distinguish between male and female skulls. An anthropologist of the time, James McGrigor Allan, argued that the female brain was similar to that of an animal. This allowed anthropologists to declare that women were in fact more emotional and less rational than men. McGrigor then concluded that women's brains were more analogous to infants, thus deeming them inferior at the time. To further these claims of female inferiority and silence the feminists of the time, other anthropologists joined in on the studies of the female skull. These cranial measurements are the basis of what is known as craniology. These cranial measurements were also used to draw a connection between women and black people.

Research has shown that while in early life there is little difference between male and female skulls, in adulthood male skulls tend to be larger and more robust than female skulls, which are lighter and smaller, with a cranial capacity about 10 percent less than that of the male. However, later studies show that women's skulls are slightly thicker and thus men may be more susceptible to head injury than women. However, other studies shows that men's skulls are slightly thicker in certain areas. Some studies show that females are more susceptible to concussion than males. Men's skulls have also been shown to maintain density with age, which may aid in preventing head injury, while women's skull density slightly decreases with age.

Male skulls can all have more prominent supraorbital ridges, glabella, and temporal lines. Female skulls generally have rounder orbits and narrower jaws. Male skulls on average have larger, broader palates, squarer orbits, larger mastoid processes, larger sinuses, and larger occipital condyles than those of females. Male mandibles typically have squarer chins and thicker, rougher muscle attachments than female mandibles.

Craniometry

The cephalic index is the ratio of the width of the head, multiplied by 100 and divided by its length (front to back). The index is also used to categorize animals, especially dogs and cats. The width is usually measured just below the parietal eminence, and the length from the glabella to the occipital point.

Humans may be:

  • Dolichocephalic — long-headed
  • Mesaticephalic — medium-headed
  • Brachycephalic — short-headed

The vertical cephalic index refers to the ratio between the height of the head multiplied by 100 and divided by the length of the head.

Humans may be:

  • Chamaecranic — low-skulled
  • Orthocranic — medium high-skulled
  • Hypsicranic — high-skulled

Terminology

History

Trepanning, a practice in which a hole is created in the skull, has been described as the oldest surgical procedure for which there is archaeological evidence, found in the forms of cave paintings and human remains. At one burial site in France dated to 6500 BCE, 40 out of 120 prehistoric skulls found had trepanation holes.

Additional images

See also

This article uses anatomical terminology.

References

Public domain This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 128 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

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External links

Fibrous joints of the human skull
Syndesmosis
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Neurocranium of the skull
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