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Related Concept Videos

Bone Formation by Intramembranous Ossification01:29

Bone Formation by Intramembranous Ossification

Intramembranous ossification is one of the two processes involved in the development of bones within an embryo. The flat bones of the face, most of the cranial bones, and the clavicles are formed via this process. During intramembranous ossification, the bones develop directly from sheets of undifferentiated mesenchymal connective tissue.
The process begins when mesenchymal cells in the embryonic skeleton gather together and differentiate into osteogenic cells, which then develop into...
Overview of the Axial Skeleton01:09

Overview of the Axial Skeleton

The skeleton is subdivided into two major divisions—the axial skeleton and the appendicular skeleton. The axial skeleton forms the vertical, central axis of the body. It includes all of the bones of the head, neck, chest, and back. It protects the brain, spinal cord, heart, and lungs. It also serves as the attachment site for muscles that move the head, neck, and back and for muscles that act across the shoulder and hip joints to move their corresponding limbs.
The axial skeleton of the adult...
Overview of the Skull01:08

Overview of the Skull

The cranium (skull) is the skeletal structure of the head that supports the face and protects the brain. It is subdivided into the facial bones and the brain case, or cranial vault. The facial bones underlie the facial structures, form the nasal cavity, enclose the eyeballs, and support the teeth of the upper and lower jaws.
The cranial vault surrounds and protects the brain and houses the middle and inner ear structures. This cavity is bounded superiorly by the rounded top of the skull, which...
Cranial Bones: Superior and Posterior View01:14

Cranial Bones: Superior and Posterior View

The superior view of the cranium shows the frontal and paired parietal bones.
The frontal bone is the single bone that forms the forehead. At its anterior midline, between the eyebrows, there is a slight depression called the glabella. The frontal bone also forms the supraorbital margin of the orbit. Near the middle of this margin is the supraorbital foramen, the opening that provides passage for a sensory nerve to the forehead. The frontal bone is thickened just above each supraorbital margin,...
Cranial Bones: Lateral View01:27

Cranial Bones: Lateral View

The lateral view of the cranium is dominated by temporal, sphenoid, and ethmoid bones.
The temporal bone forms the lower lateral side of the skull. The temporal bone is subdivided into several regions. The flattened upper portion is the squamous portion of the temporal bone. Below this area and projecting anteriorly is the zygomatic process of the temporal bone, which forms the posterior portion of the zygomatic arch. Posteriorly is the mastoid portion of the temporal bone. Projecting...
Sutures of the Skull01:22

Sutures of the Skull

The human skull is composed of several bones that come together to protect the brain and support the structures of the face. The junctions where these bones meet are called sutures.
Sutures are immobile joints between adjacent bones of the skull. The narrow gap between the bones is filled with dense, fibrous connective tissue that unites the bones. The long sutures located between the skull bones are not straight but instead follow irregular, tightly twisting paths. These twisting lines tightly...

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Assessing Species-specific Contributions To Craniofacial Development Using Quail-duck Chimeras
09:38

Assessing Species-specific Contributions To Craniofacial Development Using Quail-duck Chimeras

Published on: May 31, 2014

Cranial skeletal biology.

J A Helms1, R A Schneider

  • 1University of California at San Francisco, Room U-453, 533 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, California 94143-0514, USA. helms@itsa.ucsf.edu

Nature
|May 16, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Facial skeletal diversity arises from molecular mechanisms controlling neural crest cells. These cells are guided to form cartilage and bone, explaining variations seen in species.

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Midface Hypoplasia and Cranial Base Morphology in Syndromic Craniosynostosis: A Comparative Analysis Study Using a Predictive Regression Model
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Area of Science:

  • Developmental biology
  • Evolutionary biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • The face exhibits significant structural diversity across species, from dogs to finches.
  • Understanding the origins of this skeletal variation is crucial in biology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying facial skeletal development.
  • To determine if craniofacial development shares mechanisms with skeletogenesis in other body parts.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of molecular machinery involved in neural crest cell generation.
  • Tracking neural crest cell migration pathways.
  • Studying neural crest cell differentiation into cartilage and bone.

Main Results:

  • Identified key molecular pathways governing neural crest cell formation.
  • Demonstrated the role of cell migration in establishing facial structures.
  • Confirmed differentiation of neural crest cells into skeletal elements.

Conclusions:

  • Facial skeletal diversity is driven by the molecular control of neural crest cells.
  • These cells are fundamental to craniofacial development and skeletal patterning.