Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

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...
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,...
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...
Muscles that Move the Head01:19

Muscles that Move the Head

The muscles that move the head are a dynamic and complex group of structures that work together to facilitate a wide range of head movements, including rotation, flexion, extension, and lateral bending.
The bilateral sternocleidomastoid, or SCM, and the suprahyoid and infrahyoid muscles are significant head flexors. The SCM muscles originate at the sternum and clavicle and attach to the mastoid process of the temporal bone. The SCM contracts bilaterally to bend the head forward, whereas...
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...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Cyclical loading, daily feeding modality and the saturation response in the developing skull.

Scientific reports·2026
Same author

Investigation of direction- and age-dependent prestretch in mouse cranial dura mater.

Biomechanics and modeling in mechanobiology·2024
Same author

Prolonged cyclical loading induces Haversian remodeling in mandibles of growing rabbits.

The Journal of experimental biology·2023
Same author

Advanced Glycation End Products as a Potential Target for Restructuring the Ovarian Cancer Microenvironment: A Pilot Study.

International journal of molecular sciences·2023
Same author

Absence of secondary osteons in femora of aged rats: Implications of lifespan on Haversian remodeling in mammals.

Journal of morphology·2023
Same author

More Challenging Diets Sustain Feeding Performance: Applications Toward the Captive Rearing of Wildlife.

Integrative organismal biology (Oxford, England)·2021

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2026

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

All About That Base: Dietary Plasticity, Basicranial Flexion and Sphenoid Form.

Elizabeth Jewlal1, Susan E Lad2, Matthew J Ravosa1,3

  • 1Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

American Journal of Biological Anthropology
|June 9, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Facial length does not impact basicranial flexion postnatally. However, diet-related plasticity affects sphenoid joints and pterygoid plates due to feeding and loading, influencing mammalian craniofacial development.

Keywords:
basicranial flexiondietary plasticityontogenyprognathismsphenoid

More Related Videos

Midface Hypoplasia and Cranial Base Morphology in Syndromic Craniosynostosis: A Comparative Analysis Study Using a Predictive Regression Model
08:03

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

Published on: November 4, 2025

Creating Avian Forebrain Chimeras to Assess Facial Development
04:10

Creating Avian Forebrain Chimeras to Assess Facial Development

Published on: February 18, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 10, 2026

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

Midface Hypoplasia and Cranial Base Morphology in Syndromic Craniosynostosis: A Comparative Analysis Study Using a Predictive Regression Model
08:03

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

Published on: November 4, 2025

Creating Avian Forebrain Chimeras to Assess Facial Development
04:10

Creating Avian Forebrain Chimeras to Assess Facial Development

Published on: February 18, 2021

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Developmental biology
  • Paleontology

Background:

  • The mammalian sphenoid bone is crucial for skull structure, linking the cranial vault and face.
  • Its complex morphology and development are influenced by evolutionary and developmental factors.
  • Understanding sphenoid development is key to studying mammalian skull form and function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate factors influencing postnatal sphenoid development, particularly beyond brain growth.
  • Examine the roles of facial length, cyclical loading, and feeding modality on basicranial flexion and sphenoid robusticity.
  • Address gaps in knowledge regarding the adaptive significance of sphenoid phenotypic diversity.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized microcomputed tomography (microCT) data from a rabbit model exhibiting dietary plasticity.
  • Analyzed the relationship between postnatal facial length and basicranial flexion.
  • Assessed osteogenesis in pterygoid plates and sphenoid joints in response to feeding modality and cyclical loading.

Main Results:

  • Postnatal facial elongation did not correlate with decreased basicranial flexion, suggesting prenatal origins for flexion.
  • Sphenoid joints and pterygoid plates demonstrated diet-related plasticity.
  • Adaptive changes were observed in response to cyclical loading and feeding modality, varying by bone site.

Conclusions:

  • Cyclical loading and feeding modality are critical drivers of postnatal craniofacial development in mammals.
  • These factors must be considered when studying the structure and function of mammalian skulls, both living and extinct.
  • Basicranial flexion is largely established during prenatal development, independent of postnatal facial growth.