PSIO 201 Required Handout Department of Physiology

Axial Skeleton Bones and bone features of the skull

TABLE 1: Bones of the cranium

Bone Description
Frontal bone (1) Unpaired bone of the cranium that makes up the forehead and forms the
superior portion of the eye orbit.
Parietal bones (2) Paired bones that lie posterior to the frontal bone and form the lateral walls of
the cranium.
Occipital bone (1) Unpaired bone that forms the posterior and inferior portion of the cranium.
Features of interest: foramen magnum, external occipital protuberance,
and occipital condyles.
Temporal bones (2) Paired bones that lie inferior to the parietal bones and contribute to forming the
lateral wall of the cranium. The interior of the temporal bone houses the
auditory ossicles, small bones that contribute to the sense of hearing. Features
of interest: external auditory meatus, zygomatic process, styloid process,
mastoid process, and mandibular fossa.
Ethmoid bone (1) Unpaired bone that forms a portion of the posterior eye orbit, part of the cranial
floor, the roof of the nasal cavity, and the superior nasal septum. Features of
interest: crista galli, cribriform plate, olfactory foramina, perpendicular
plate, superior nasal conchae (not visible on articulated skull), and middle nasal
conchae.
Sphenoid bone (1) Unpaired bat-shaped cranial bone that serves to unite the cranial and facial
bones, acting as a keystone to strengthen the lateral walls of the cranium.
Features of interest: lesser wings, greater wings, sella turcica and optic
canals.

TABLE 2: Facial bones

Bone Description
Maxilla (2) The two maxillae together form the upper jaw bone. Each maxilla has
alveoli (sockets) for articulation with the teeth. The maxillae also form the
inferior and medial portions of the eye orbit, and part of the bony roof of the
mouth. Features of interest: alveoli and palatine processes.
Mandible (1) The mandible is the lower jaw bone that articulates with the temporal bone,
forming the only moveable joint of the skull. The mandible also has alveoli
for articulation with the teeth. Features of interest: mental foramina, body,
ramus, mandibular condyle (condylar process of mandible), coronoid
process, and alveoli.
Zygomatic (2) The two zygomatic bones form the cheekbones and the lateral portion of the
eye orbits. Feature of interest: temporal process.
Nasal (2) The nasal bones form the superior portion of the bridge of the nose.
Lacrimal (2) Together with the maxillae, the lacrimal bones contribute to the medial
portion of each eye orbit.
Palatines (2) The palatine bones are L-shaped bones that form, with the maxillae, part of
the bony roof of the mouth (the hard palate) and a small portion of the eye
orbit.
Vomer (1) The vomer forms the inferior portion of the nasal septum.
Inferior nasal conchae The conchae lie inside the nasal cavity and serve to increase the turbulence of
PSIO 201 Required Handout Department of Physiology
(2) air flowing through en route to the lungs.
PSIO 201 Required Handout Department of Physiology

Activity: Palpate your own bone markings to review the axial skeleton.

ZYGOMATIC BONE: Find the most prominent part of your cheek. This is the zygomatic bone.
Follow the posterior course of the temporal process of this bone to the junction with your temporal
bone (via the zygomatic process).

MASTOID PROCESS: The large rounded area behind your ear is the mastoid process.

TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINTS: Open and close your jaw to find these joints, where the
mandibular condyles articulate with the mandibular fossas of the temporal bone.

SPHENOID: Place your fingers on your zygomatic arches, and then move your fingers superiorly
until you find the indentations on the lateral skull that are often called your "temples".

EXTERNAL AUDITORY MEATUS: Stick your finger in your ear. The opening through which
your finger passes is the external auditory meatus.

NASAL BONES: Run your index finger and thumb along opposite sides of the bridge of your nose
until they slip medially at the inferior end of the nasal bones.

VOMER: Place your finger in the small ridge above your upper lip. Move your finger superiorly
toward the base of the nose and apply a gentle pressure there. The bony structure that you feel
underneath the skin is the vomer.

HYOID BONE: Place a thumb and forefinger under the mandible and gently squeeze medially.

VERTEBRAL PROMINENS: The spinous process of C7 is usually visible through the skin, and
protrudes far enough to palpate easily. It is often used as a landmark for counting the vertebrae.

MEDIAN SACRAL CREST: Palpate this one in private. The median sacral crest is essentially a
remnant of the spinous processes of the fused vertebrae that compose the sacrum.

XIPHOID PROCESS: The juncture between the xiphoid process and the manubrium can be found
by moving your fingers along the sternum until they slip into a small depression; this marks the end
of the manubrium and the beginning of the xiphoid process. This is the point from which you move
two fingers widths superiorly before you would begin chest compressions during CPR. Fracturing
the sternum at the xiphoid process is dangerous because damage to the liver may result.

JUGULAR NOTCH: The depression formed at the upper border of the manubrium is where you
will find the jugular notch.

EXTERNAL OCCIPITAL PROTUBERANCE: The protuberance along the midline on posterior

side of head.