The cranium is made up of relatively thin plates of bone surrounding the brain, At birth these plates are widely separated to allow growth of the brain as the baby grows, the gaps are called frontanelles .During growth, the space gets gradually filled with bone and close together to provide a protective helmet around the brain.

The bony plates join together like a jigsaw at the Coronoid sutures. There are 4 major sutures.

There are 8 cranial bones altogether

Frontal Bone: One plate forming the forehead/top section eye socket. Coronal suture - connect Frontal -Parietal.

Temporal Bones: One plate on either side of the skull at the temples, they form part of TMJ (temporo-mandibular joint) of the lower jaw and provide muscle attachments. Connects by the squamous and zygmatic sutures. Has the mandibular fossa, auditory meatus(like a tunnel)- ear canal inter and external.Mastoid process - connects neck muscles helps move our heads. Styloid process - connects muscle to our voicebox.

Parietal Bones: Two plates joined along the top of the suture skull and forming the majority of its side and back. Fused together by the sagittal suture and joins the frontal bone by the coronal suture

Occipital Bone: Back and base of the skull, contains the large opening ( foramen magnum) throught which the spinal chord passes. Bump at the back of the skull.

Sphenoid Bone: (batwing) Base and front of the cranium with a close relationship to facial.Touches every cranial bone .Single continuous bone.Wings called the pterygoid process.Forms anterior base of the skull behind orbit.

Ethmoid Bone: Contains ethmoid tissue , thin and spongey in appearance. Has the Crista Galli (brain anchored by a little sail) a membrane around the midline towards the anterior.

	Created by Aoife Brennan almost 7 years ago

Slide Set on head and neck anatomy , created by Aoife Brennan on 30/11/2017.