<研究報告>脳頭蓋と頸椎の間の構造的共変動性 : 短頭化現象問題の解決に向けて

概要

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As an attempt to elucidate the causes of brachycephalization, principal component analyses for the neurocranium and the cervical vertebrae were carried out on the basis of the metric data from 30 male and 20 female Japanese. The results show that cranial length or breadth is not consistently correlated with any of the measurements dealt with of the cervical vertebrae, suggesting no involvement of the cervical vertebrae in brachycephalization. Basi-bregmatic height was, however, found to have relatively high correlations with the ventral and central heights of the vertebral body and with the transverse diameter of the vertebral foramen. From these and previous studies, it is inferred that, in the course of the craniocervical development, the morphology of the braincase and the cervical vertebrae is determined, at least in part, by some common morphogenetic and/or biomechanical factors associated with the size and shape of the brain and spinal cord, the posture of the head and neck, etc.
国立科学博物館の論文