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Spatial position of the lateral semicircular canal in 14–60‐day‐old rat heads
Author(s) -
VILMANN HENNING,
MOSS MELVIN L.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
european journal of oral sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.802
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1600-0722
pISSN - 0909-8836
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0722.1979.tb00669.x
Subject(s) - foramen magnum , anatomy , skull , occipital bone , semicircular canal , foramen , crista , geology , head (geology) , biology , paleontology , vestibular system , neuroscience , mitochondrion , microbiology and biotechnology
— During growth the rat skull straightens considerably due to flexions between skull parts and individual bones. This straightening is defined as orthocephalization. Orthocephalization might also be caused by a change in head posture during growth, i.e. it may be “apparent”. In order to study the significance of this phenomenon, radiographs of dried skulls of male rats, 14, 30 and 60 d of age were subjected to angular measurements between the plane of the lateral semicircular canal and the plane of foramen magnum and of the basisphenoid bone, respectively. When the plane of the lateral semicircular canal is placed horizontally, the head is claimed to be in natural position. No changes in the angulation between the lateral semicircular canal and the basisphenoid bone could be revealed, whereas the foramen magnum was shown to rotate upwards and backwards in relation to the plane of the canal. This implies that the orthocephalization which takes place between 14 and 60 d is caused only by real angular changes, and that no apparent changes occur due to changes in head posture.