Relationship of the Parietal Foramen and Complexity of the Human Sagittal Suture
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Int. J. Morphol., 27(2):553-564, 2009. Relationship of the Parietal Foramen and Complexity of the Human Sagittal Suture Relación del Foramen Parietal y la Complejidad de la Sutura Sagital Humana Robert W. Mann; Jiro Manabe & John E. Byrd MANN, R. W.; MANABE, J. & BYRD, J. E. Relationship of the parietal foramen and complexity of the human sagittal suture. Int. J. Morphol., 27(2):553-564, 2009. SUMMARY: The purpose of this paper is to report on the relationship between the parietal foramen and complexity of the human sagittal suture. Examination of 110 Japanese human skulls (males=67, females=43) with at least one parietal foramen revealed that the sagittal suture in the area of the Obelion was the simplest portion (i.e., fewest interdigitations and shortest length) of the suture (paired t- test, P<0.0005), when compared to the outstretched suture length of three established sections: 1. Parietal foramen section (P); 2. Anterior to section P (B); and 3. Posterior to section P (L). Sutural complexity was also compared between individuals with unilateral foramen (n=48) and bilateral foramina (n=62) to see if there was a statistically significant difference. The results revealed a slight difference in section P (ANOVA Bonferroni, P<0.05), denoting that the sagittal suture at the Obelion in individuals with unilateral parietal foramen is more complex than in individuals with bilateral foramina. While no difference in sex was noted, this simplicity in part likely reflects redirected bone stresses around a circular opening resulting in reduced tensile stresses and increased compressive stresses adjacent to the parietal foramen. This phenomenon warrants additional research and has implications for bone biomechanics and development of the cranial sutures. KEY WORDS: Sagittal suture; Complexity; Parietal foramen; Age. INTRODUCTION Study of the human cranial sutures has focused on suture and proximity of the parietal foramen. The authors such diverse topics as fractal analysis (Hartwig 1991; Yu et hypothesize that the parietal foramen, a normally occurring al., 2003; Skrzat & Walocha, 2003a, 2003b, 2004; Gorski & feature in human skulls, acts to alter and redirect compressive Skrzat, 2006), indicators of age (Parsons & Box, 1905; Todd and tensile stresses resulting in a relatively simple suture. & Lyon, 1924, 1925a,b,c; Retzlaff et al., 1979; Baker, 1984; Meindl & Lovejoy, 1985; Lynnerup & Jacobsen, 2003), Development of parietal bone. The parietal bone develops frequency and location of accessory ossicles (Berry & Berry, from a single intramembranous center near the eminence, 1967; El-Najjar & Dawson, 1977; Sanchez-Lara et al., 2007), beginning in the eighth fetal week and radiates outward in a cranial dimensions (Skrzat et al., 2004) and sutural sunburst pattern (Hoheisel, 1930; Currarino; Fazekas & complexity as indicators of bone stresses (Anton et al., 1992; Kosa, 1978 cited in Steele & Bramblett, 1988). The four Kanisius & Luke, 1994; Nicolay & Vaders, 2006). Few sides of this approximately square shaped bone, which forms studies or reports, however, have focused on the frequency, the sides and roof of the skull, join the frontal bone anteriorly location and variation of parietal foramina, and even fewer along the coronal suture, the temporal and sphenoid bones on the possible relationship between parietal foramina and inferiorly at the squamosal suture, the occipital bone complexity of the human sagittal suture (Topinard, 1878; posteriorly along the lambdoidal suture, and the opposing Currarino, 1976). Although the biomechanical explanation parietal bone superiorly at the sagittal suture (Gray, 1910). for this causal relationship is outside the scope of this study, The concave endocranial surface of the two parietal bones the present work reveals both a visual and statistically contains deep grooves for the meningeal vessels, a shallow significant relationship between the complexity of the sagittal sulcus along the midline for the superior sagittal sinus, several Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, 310 Worchester Ave., Hickam AFB, Hawaii, 96853-5530, USA. 553 MANN, R. W.; MANABE, J. & BYRD, J. E. Relationship of the parietal foramen and complexity of the human sagittal suture. Int. J. Morphol., 27(2):553-564, 2009. cluster-shaped depressions and pits resembling clusters of has a medicolegal significance and may play a role in grapes for the arachnoid granulations. establishing the identity of unknown remains. Slowed or delayed ossification in the posterior one- Although subject to a host of variables and not third of the parietal bone at the Obelion results in a slit or necessarily an accurate indicator of age (Hershkovitz et v-shaped notch, sometimes referred to as the subsagittal al., 1997), fusion of the vault sutures (Todd & Lyon, 1924, suture of Pozzi (Breathnach, 1965), fonticuius obelicus 1925a, b, c; Meindel & Lovejoy) and maxillary sutures (Pernkopf, 1963), pars obelica (Scheuer & Black, 2004), (Mann et al., 1987, 1991) has often been used as a method or sagittal or third fontanelle, that widens the sagittal suture to estimate age at death. For example, Persson et al. (1978) at that level (Currarino). Obelion, so named for its advocated that the fusion of sutures is related to vascular, resemblance to the Greek symbol obelos ÷ refers to that hormonal, genetic and biomechanical factors and the portion of the sagittal suture between the parietal foramina; Obelion is believed to be the first region of the sagittal the dots of obelos represent the parietal foramina (Jamieson, suture to begin closure (Topinard; Currarino). The present 1937). Ossification and closure of the third fontanelle, authors were unable to find additional information or which usually occurs in the fifth fetal month, often results research explaining why the sagittal suture starts to close in vestiges and normal anatomical variants known as at the Obelion first, despite suture closure being quite va- obeliac bones, enlarged parietal foramina, parietal fissure, riable in individuals. Closure of the sagittal suture involves and one or more parietal foramina (Currarino). The role three fontanelles: 1. the anterior fontanelle located where of the parietal foramen, other than transmitting an emissary the frontal bone and parietal bones meet, 2. the posterior vein or artery to the superior sagittal sinus, is still under fontanelle where the occipital and parietal bones meet, and investigation but may simply be the result of delayed or 3. the third or sagittal fontanelle which is present in 50- incomplete ossification as just described (Wu et al., 2000). 80% of perinatal skulls, leading to the formation of one or In addition, when a parietal foramen is unusually large as more parietal foramina postnatally. The third fontanelle the result of slowed ossification, the area around the fora- usually closes within the first two years postnatally (96% men may be thinner and flatter (Boyd, 1930). of cases) (Scheuer & Black). The timing of bony union and closure of this fontanelle might be related to complexity Simplification of the sagittal suture near the parietal and morphology of the sagittal suture. foramen, a condition occasionally reported in the clinical, anatomical and anthropological literature (Topinard; The reported frequency of the parietal foramen Currarino; Hauser & DeStefano, 1989; Scheuer & Black), varies from 50 to 80% of individuals in different population therefore, could be explained by slowed or delayed groups (Scott, 1893; Boyd; Wysocki et al., 2006; Yoshioka ossification. Koskinen et al. (1976), in contrast, suggest et al., 2006) and has been shown to vary little in its number, that rapid growth of the parietal bone would result in an location, size, and shape. As for position, the parietal fo- increase in interdigitations and an overlapping of the suture. ramen is reported as being located in the posterior one- If this feature prevails as a uniform type, the complexity fifth (Topinard) or one-third of the parietal bone; in other of the sagittal suture near the parietal foramen results in words, its location is approximately 2cm anterior to the excess bone development, and the prematurely fusing Lambda in newborns and 2-5cm anterior in adults suture with abnormal fibroblast growth factor (FGF) might (Currarino), or an average distance of 83mm from the Inion lead to precocious osteogenic differentiation and (Yoshioka et al.). craniofacial malformation (Sarkar et al., 2001; Moore et al., 2002). Thus, ossification of the parietal bone might be The size of the parietal foramen has been reported one of the crucial variables in understanding the basic as between 1.8-2.0mm (Wysocki et al.; Yoshioka et al.), pattern of the sagittal suture and its simplicity near the although Boyd stated that the average is under 0.5mm and parietal foramen. a size greater than 1.5 mm is rare. Unexpectedly, Wysocki et al. found that the average size of parietal foramina in Vault suture morphology, whether complex or sim- Polish females was twice as large as in males (3.0mm in ple, is a feature that physical anthropologists and others females and 1.5mm in males), ranging from 0.38-16.8mm, sometimes use as an indicator of ancestry when examining suggesting sexual dimorphism in parietal ossification. Boyd human skeletal remains. For example, highly complex however, found no difference in age or sex. Circular, oval, sutures are often viewed as a Mongoloid (Asian) trait and or slit-like enlarged parietal foramina measuring several simple sutures as Caucasoid (White) or Negroid