The sutures of the skull have several important roles. In development they are straight edged and lie on top of a network of soft cartilage and connective tissue to allow the head of the newborn to deform in order to fit through the narrow birth canal.
In adult life the main function of sutures is to distribute impact force evenly around the skull. The collagen present in the interfacial layer coupled with the jagged interlocking distribute impact force evenly across the entire length of the sutures and connecting bone. They are around 5 times stronger under impact than pure bone and as the collagen content goes up with increased interdigitation they can be stronger.
Under slow compression only extremely interdigitated suture can match the strength of pure cranial bone.
Sources:
HUBBARD, R. P. 1971. FLEXURE OF LAYERED CRANIAL BONE. Journal of Biomechanics,4, 251-&.
HUBBARD, R. P., MELVIN, J. W. & BARODAWA.IT 1971. FLEXURE OF CRANIAL SUTURES. Journal of Biomechanics, 4,491-&.
JASLOW, C. R. 1990. MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES OF CRANIAL SUTURES. Journal of Biomechanics,23, 313-321.
SADLER, T. W. 2010. Systems-Based Embryology. In: HORVARTH, K. (ed.) Langman's Medical Embryology. 11 ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
SCHOENWOLF, G. C., BLEYL, S. B., BRAUER, P. R. & FRANCIS-WEST, P. H. 2009. Origin of Skull. In: CRATER, P. (ed.) Larsen's Human Embryology. 5th ed. Philadelphia: Curchill Livingstone.
Sutures on human and animal skulls are where growth occurs from birth to adulthood. Once the skull and brain have grown to adult size, the suture lines calcify and the bones fuse together solidly.
The bones of the skull include the Frontal, Temporal, Parietal and Occipital bones.
Craniosynostosis is a birth defect in which one or more of the joints between the bones of an infant's skull close prematurely, before the infant's brain is fully formed. When a baby has craniosynostosis, his or her brain can't grow in its natural shape and the head is misshapen.
Sutures on human and animal skulls are where growth occurs from birth to adulthood. Once the skull and brain have grown to adult size, the suture lines calcify and fuse together.
The bones of the skull include the Frontal, Temporal, Parietal and Occipital bones.
A rigid joint between hard parts of animals, e.g. the skull of a newborn.
cranium bones are fused to protect the delicate brain from bumps and knocks
To facilitate childbirth. If the infant's skull was one solid piece, it wouldn't be able to be pushed through the birth canal, because it would be too big.
NO! They are fibrous joints and not moveable at all.
fibrous joints
immovable
The bones in the skull and the bones in the sacrum come to mind . . .
The shoulder joint is a ball and socket joint. The joints between the skull plates are fused joints (no movement).
Fixed joints are formed by the skull bones.
In babies the skull joint is the fontanel (fontanelle) which helps in birth due to its flexibility but in the adult the skull joint is a fixed joint or a synarthrotic joint (immovable) called a suture.
No
NO! They are fibrous joints and not moveable at all.
No i do not think so but there are joints in the skull called suture joints just like little cracks
Suture joints are practically immovable joints. You can find them in case of skull. They are there in case of skull, probably to allow the growth of individual bone, in order to increase the size of skull. With out joints, it would be very difficult to increase the size of the skull.
An immovable joint. (sutures joining the bones of the skull)
Fixed joints in humans are located in the skull and pelvis.
it is a joint that has little or no movement
fibrous joints
immovable
Fibrous joint