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A Morphogenetic Model of Cranial Pneumatization Based on the Invasive Tissue Hypothesis
- Source :
- The Anatomical Record: Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology. 291:1446-1454
- Publication Year :
- 2008
- Publisher :
- Wiley, 2008.
-
Abstract
- The interpretation of patterns of cranial pneumatization in terms of evolution, development, and function is controversial, because these structures exhibit extreme diversity and variability among and within taxa. However, there is general consensus that air-filled spaces are formed by invasion of mucous epithelial tissue from the nasopharyngeal cavity into the surrounding cranial bones. This investigation presents a morphogenetic model of pneumatization, which combines empirical data about epithelial growth with physical concepts of surface growth. The study develops a model that defines growth equations with a minimum number of system parameters to simulate the invasion of mucous tissue and air-filled spaces into the cancellous compartment of cranial bones. Computer simulations show that tuning a small set of model parameters permits generation of a wide diversity of morphologies mimicking natural air-filled spaces. Comparison of virtual with actual morphologies yields new insights into possible factors controlling the process of cranial pneumatization.
- Subjects :
- Models, Anatomic
Mucous tissue
Empirical data
Histology
Craniology
Model parameters
Biology
Models, Biological
Maxilla
Morphogenesis
Animals
Humans
Compartment (development)
Computer Simulation
Process (anatomy)
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Skull
Nasopharyngeal cavity
Genetic Variation
Temporal Bone
Hominidae
Anatomy
Biological Evolution
Biomechanical Phenomena
Physical Concepts
System parameters
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Biotechnology
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 19328494 and 19328486
- Volume :
- 291
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- The Anatomical Record: Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....21916961f858fa24bdc6dddfe528fb62