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Cranial Bones
Cranial Bones
Out of the 22 bones that form the human skull, 8 bones encase the brain. These are called cranial
bones, collectively referred to as the neurocranium or braincase. Some of these bones are flat, while
some are irregular. As stated, the neurocranium encloses and protects the brain and forms the
shape of the head.
It is located at the top of the head. You can easily feel this structure by running your hand on the
crown of your head.
How Many Cranial Bones are There and What are They
Functions
As we know, all the cranial bones fuse to form the neurocranium to perform the following functions:
Allowing the passage of the cranial nerves necessary for our day-to-day functioning, such as seeing,
smelling, and chewing.
Cranial Roof: Also known as calvarium, this part of the neurocranium is formed by the frontal,
occipital, and two parietal bones.
Cranial Base: It is composed of the frontal, sphenoid, ethmoid, occipital, parietal, and temporal
bones.
1. Frontal Bone: An unpaired flat bone that makes up the forehead and upper part of the eye
sockets.
2. Occipital Bone: Another unpaired flat bone found at the back of the skull. It has an opening
through which the spinal cord passes and connects to the brain.
3. Parietal Bones: A pair of flat bones located on either side of the head, just behind the frontal
bone. It protects the brain lying underneath.
4. Ethmoid Bone: Another unpaired irregular bone located in front of the sphenoid bone that forms
a part of the nasal cavity.
5. Temporal Bones: A paired bone, located under each of the parietal bones. However, unlike the
previous, these are irregular bones. These bones protect auditory nerves and a few ear structures
that control hearing and balance.
6. Sphenoid Bone: An unpaired irregular bone located just below the frontal bone. It forms a large
part of the skull base, as it spans the width of the skull. The sphenoid articulates with all the other
cranial bones, as well as with the facial bones zygomatic, palatine, and vomer, thus connecting the
neurocranium to the facial skeleton.
Here are some sentences that will help you to remember the names of these cranial bones:
Another easy phrase would be ‘STEP OF 6’, where the 6 stands for six types of cranial bones.
The bold letters in these sentences and phrase correspond to each cranial bone’s name. Here’s what
it looks like:
E: Ethmoid bone
O: Occipital bone
P: Parietal bones
F: Frontal bone
T: Temporal bones
S: Sphenoid bone
The cranial bones are developed in the mesenchymal tissue surrounding the head end of the
notochord.
FAQs
Q.1. What are the three cranial bones that contain sinuses?
Ans. The three cranial bones that contain sinuses are the frontal, ethmoid, and sphenoid bones.