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NEUROCRANIUM (Endo/chondrocranium, primary braincase)

1. Protects brain and special sense organs
2. Starts as cartilage
3. Replaced by bone (whole or part only) EXCEPT for cartilaginous
fish
4. Starts as several cartilage that unites as ONE.
5. PARACHORDAL STAGE develop underneath the brain. Cartilage
expand across the midline and unite
6. BASAL PLATE united notochord and PARACHORDAL STAGE
7. PRECHORDAL STAGE (trabeculae cranii) develop underneath
the brain. develop at the anterior of notochord and underneath the
forebrain.
8. ETHMOID PLATE expanded Prechordal cartilages across midline
@ anterioir ends
SENSE CAPSULES
1. Other cartilage formed in 2 locations namely;
a. Olfactory capsule perforated by foramina (transmit nerves
and vascular channels), partially surrounding olfactory
epithelium coz of access of air / water
b. Otic developing inner ear, surrounds the otocyst,
perforated by foramina (transmit nerves and vascular
channels)
c. Optic around retina, later becomes eyeball sclerotic coat,,
fibrous in mammals, may have cartilaginous/bony plates
(ancient trait), DOES NOT FUSE WITH THE SKULL
WALLS, FLOOR, ROOF
1. Ethmoid plate + olfactory capsules (anteriorly)
2. Basal Plate + otic capsules (lateral with the hindbrain direction)
3. Ethmoid + Basal = floor where brain rests
4. Hypophyseal fenestra the midline where the ethmoid and basal
cartilage plates meet,
a. accommodates hypophysis and internal carotid arteries (en
route to brain).
b. Reduced to foramina pair (transmitting arteries)
5. Cartilaginous walls in the brain is also formed

6.
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11.

Tectum a cartilaginous roof w/ prominent fenestrae, also formed.

Presence of cranial nerves, blood vessels found
Deposited cartilage with formed foramina
Foramen magnum largest foramina @ rear wall of neurocranium
Remodeling of neurocranial cartilage takes place as brain develops
Mesenchyne

gives rise to neurocranium from neural crest ventrad to optic stalks >
developing eyeballs connection to brain
gives rise to parachordal cartilage, occiput <?> , from schlerotome
the rest of mesenchyme for neurocranial formation is sourced from
neural crest

CARTILAGINOUS NEUROCRANIA OF ADULT CRANIATES

1. Living Agnathans
a. Neurocranium components independent throughout life
b. Olfactory capsule, otic capsule, basal plate, notochord (not
fused with basal plate) present
c. Roof of brain is unchondrified and fibrous
2. Cartilaginous fish
a. Model : Squalus acanthias
b. High water mark in development, Forms a boxlike adult
cartilaginous braincase CHONDROCRANIUM
c. CHONDROCRANIUM no more visible components, fully
developed wall,
posterior occipital wall for the first
time (gnasthosomes)
d. brain roof is fully cartilage, last part to chondrify is the
ROSTRUM (w.c may still be soft in younger specimens)
e. otic capsules completely fused with posterolateral walls of
braincase + olfactory capsules united anteriorly
f. visible notochord (seen as cephalad extending ridge) from
the base of foramen magnum (which has an occipital
condyle at each side)
g. Occipital condyle immovable articulation bet. Occipital
region of neurcranium and 1st vertebrae
h. hypophysis cradled in cartilaginous pocket
i. sella turcica-beneath the brain
j. projects forward as ROSTRUM beyond olfactory capsules

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k. Endolymphatic fossa depression at the posterodorsal aspect
of the neurocraniumm 2 pairs of foramina, houses the
endolymphatic (opens at surface) and perilymphatic ducts
3. BONY FISHES
a. Cartilaginous neurocranium throughout its
life(chondrosteans, gars, dipnoans)
b. Teleosts and tetrapods cartilage replaced by endochondrial
bone as it develops
NEUROCRANIAL OSSIFICATION CENTERS
1. occurs more/less simultaneously at numerous ossification centers
2. actual no. varies per species
a. Occipital Centers

Basioccipital bone 1 or more centers @

ventral to foramen magnum, underlying the
hindbrain

2 Exoccipital lateral walls of foramen

magnum

Supraoccipital above foramen,

1 Occipital bone fusion of 4 occipital

elements (mammals), 1 or 2 remain cartilaginous in
amphibians

2 Occipital condyles articulates with the

st
1 vertebra, single in amphibians (basiooccipital),
birds and reptiles
b. Sphenoid center
o Basisphenoid bone ossifies under midbrain and pituitary
gland, anterior to basioccpita
o Presphenoid Mammals. Anterior to basissphenoid, with
addl ossification at the walls
o Laterosphenoid bone (archosaurs) lateral ossification
o Orbitosphenoid (archosaurs) separate interorbital septum
o Alisphenoid in some mammals, but from palatoquadrate
cartilage not neurocranium
o Sphenoid elements may form (single sphenoid) or separate
o Sella turcica pituitary gland rests
o No replacement bones develop above the brain
c. Ethmoid centers

Anterior to sphenoid
Ethmoid plate + nasal capsules
Remains cartilaginous in tetrapods
Ossification centers in amniotes:
Mesethmoid nasal septum of birds and mammals,
turbinal bones @ nasal passageways of reptiles and
birds, cribiform plate in mammals
Sphenethmoid anurans, sole bone arising from both
ethmoid and sphenoid bones
Ectethmoid nasal passageways of Sphenodon

Not derived from ethmoid ossification - winglike

alar and small sesamoid cartilage (human nose)
d. Otic Centers

Replaced by the bones: prootic, opisthotic, epiotic

May unite with other bones

Periotic/perosal bone all 3 unite in birds and

mammals,

Petrosal + Squamosal =Temporal bone

GENERALIZED DERMATOCRAUNIUM
1. Membrane bones of the skull
2. Fish have highly specialized structures
3. How It May Have Begun
a.
Earliest vertebrates (Ostracoderms were incased in
dermal armor)
b.
This armor goes through one or more cycles of
expansion and reduction
c.
Bony plates are found in the head- integral part of
the skull
d.
Neurocranium is the endoskeleton
e.
Dermal bone exoskeleton dermatocranium
(living fossils)
f.
Modern vertebrates no longer ossify at the
skin(mesenchyme to dermis) rather from subdermal
mesenchyme. Though the inductors may be the same.

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6. Modified primary palate may still be present
in all tetrapods
4. Basic Structurea. Read A Question in Homology (regards naming)
b. Roofing Bones

Early pattern in Rhipidistians inherited by

Labyrinthodonts.- protective shield to brain and
special sense organs, no unpaired bones, paired
nasals, frontal parietals, postparietals (disapperared
in modern amphibians)

paired and unpaired scale bones extends

Parietal foramen housing median eye still found in

fish amphi, lizards

Lacrimal from nasolacrimal duct (drain of excess

fluid and tears

Lacrimal, pre and postfront, jugal ring around the

orbit

Posterior: Intertemporal, supratemporal, tabular,

squamosal, quadratojugal,

Labyrinthodonts longer snouts that rhipidistians

(food)
c. Dermal bones of the Upper Jaw

Embroynic origin: Palatoquadrate cartilage

Palatoquadrate cartilage > Overlaid with >

Premaxillae and maxilla (tooth bearing bones)

Primary Palatal Bones:

1. Roof of oropharyngeal cavity/ oral cavity of
tetrapods/ cartilaginous floor of
neurocranium in sharks
2. Bony vertebrates: membrane bones under
neurocranium and upper jaw cartilage
3. Rhipis. Fish and early tetrapods: unpaired
parasphenoid (beneath sphenoid), paired
vomers (ethmoid region), & paired
palatines, ectopterygoids and pterygoids
4. Internal nares pierced anterolaterally
5. May bear teeth in all extant basal vertebrates

Opercular Bones
1. Flap of tissue arises as an outgrowth of the
hyoid arch and extends caudad over the gill
slits.
2. Membranous in holocephalans, absent in
elasmobranchs,
3. Stiffened plates of dermal bone in bony
fishes: Opercular, preopercular,
subopercular, interopercular
NEUROCRANIAL-DERMATOCRANIAL COMPLEX OF
BONY FISHES