Head and Neck Anatomy Quiz

The Skull

• The skull can be divided into two parts: neurocranium and viscerocranium.
• Neurocranium consists of the flat bones of the skull (cranial vault) and the base of the skull, including 8 bones: frontal bone, occipital bone, ethmoid bone, sphenoid bone, paired parietal bones, and paired temporal bones.
• Viscerocranium consists of the bones of the face that develop from the pharyngeal arches in embryologic development, including 14 bones: mandible, vomer, paired lacrimal bones, paired nasal bones, paired palatine bones, paired inferior turbinate bones, paired maxillary bones, and paired zygomatic bones.

Sutures and Junctions

• Sutures are fibrous joints that connect skull bones together.
• There are five sutures: frontal/coronal suture, sagittal suture, lambdoid suture, squamous/squamoparietal suture, and occipitomastoid suture.
• Junctions of the cranial sutures include lambda, bregma, pterion, asterion, nasion, and inion.

Fontanelles and Foramina

• Fontanelles are large fibrous areas where several sutures meet.
• There are six fontanelles: anterior fontanelle, posterior fontanelle, two sphenoid fontanelles, and two mastoid fontanelles.
• The floor of the cranial cavity can be divided into the anterior cranial fossa, middle cranial fossa, and posterior cranial fossa, all of which contain foramina and fissures through which blood vessels and cranial nerves are transmitted.

Scalp and Meninges

• The scalp is composed of five layers: skin, connective tissue, aponeurosis (galea aponeurotica), loose connective tissue, and pericranium.
• The meninges are three membranes that surround and protect the brain in the skull: dura mater, arachnoid mater, and pia mater.
• Dura mater is conventionally described as two layers: the endosteal layer and the meningeal layer.

Arterial Supply and Venous Drainage

• The arterial supply of the brain includes branches of the arch of the aorta, external carotid artery, and internal carotid artery.
• The venous drainage of the brain includes facial and scalp areas, diploic veins, emissary veins, and dural venous sinuses.

Brain Development and Structure

• The brain develops from the neural tube, which divides into three primary vesicles: prosencephalon, mesencephalon, and rhombencephalon.
• The brainstem is the stalk-like part of the brain that connects the spinal cord with the forebrain, consisting of medulla oblongata, pons, and midbrain.
• The diencephalon is the part of brain between the cerebrum and the brainstem, consisting of thalamus, hypothalamus, epithalamus, and third ventricle.