The Cranium, Meninges And Ventricular System

Front 1

What is the difference between the Viscerocranium and the Neurocranium?

Back 1

The Viscerocranium is the portion of the skull making up the face. It is derived from neural crest cells.

The Neurocranium is the portion of the skull containing the brain and brain stem. It is lined by dura mater.

Front 2

What are the prominent bones of the skull? Make sure you can identify these on an actual skull!!!

Back 2

1. Front Bone
2. Nasal Bone
3. Zygomatic Bone
4. Maxilla
5. Mandible
6. Parietal Bone
7. Sphenoid
8. Occipital Bone
9. Temporal Bone

Front 3

What are the sutures of the skull? Make sure you can identify these on an actual skull!!!

Back 3

1. Nasion

2. Pterion (junction of the coronal and squamous sutures)

3. Asterion (junction of the squamous and lambdoidal sutures)

4. Lambda (junction of the sagittal and lambdoidal sutures)

5. Bregma (junction of the sagittal and coronal sutures)

6. Sagittal

7. Lambdoidal

8. Squamous

9. Coronal

10. Metopic

Front 4

What are the three meningeal layers from superficial to deep?

Back 4

Dura mater, Arachnoid mater, Pia mater

Front 5

What are the characteristics of the Dura mater?

Back 5

The Dura mater is the outer most layer of the meninges. It has three primary functions:

1. It physically supports the brain and brainstem.

2. It returns venous blood from the brain to the internal jugular veins.

3. It serves as the periosteum of the surrounding bones.

Front 6

What are the characteristics of the Arachnoid mater?

Back 6

The Arachnoid mater allows vessels to travel to and from the brain.

Front 7

How do vessels travel through the Arachnoid mater?

Back 7

The vessels travel through the subarachnoid space (full of CSF) via the arachnoid trabeculae that bridge the distance to the Pia mater and nervous tissue.

Front 8

What are the characteristics of the Pia mater?

Back 8

Pia mater sits directly on top of the CNS. It is tightly adherent to the underlying nervous tissue.