Cranium Anatomy Quiz

Study Notes

The Cranium

The cranium is made up of eight bones: frontal, parietal (2), temporal (2), occipital, sphenoid, and ethmoid.
The frontal bone is a flat bone located at the front of the cranium.
- It has three parts: squamous, orbital, and nasal.
- It articulates with the parietal bones, ethmoid bone, lacrimal bones, maxillae, nasal bones, zygomatic bones, and sphenoid bone.
- The blood supply is from the middle meningeal artery.
- Its functions include providing structure to the skull, eye orbits, and upper face, protecting the frontal lobe of the brain, and aiding in facial expressions (muscle attachment point).
The parietal bones are flat bones located on the sides of the cranium.
- They have four angles: frontal, occipital, sphenoidal, and mastoid.
- They articulate with the frontal bone, occipital bone, temporal bone, and sphenoid bone.
- The blood supply comes from the middle meningeal artery.
- Their functions include providing structure and protecting the brain.
The occipital bone is a flat bone located at the back of the cranium.
- It has three parts: squamous, basilar, and lateral.
- It articulates with the parietal bones, temporal bones, sphenoid bone, and atlas.
- The blood supply comes from the middle meningeal artery.
- Its functions include providing structure to the skull, providing attachment for muscles, and forming the foramen magnum.
The temporal bones are irregular bones located on the sides of the skull.
- They have five parts: squamous, petrous, tympanic, mastoid, and styloid.
- They articulate with the parietal bone, occipital bone, and zygomatic bone.