What is the Cranial Cavity?
Cranium is the outer hard covering which protects the brain from damage and cerebrospinal fluid inside keeps the pressure uniform on the whole brain. Cranial cavity is the space inside which the brain is located.
Nivedita Dar23 May, 2024
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Cranial Cavity is the space in the skull bone which houses the brain. Modern Humans have evolved with a large brain cavity of 1200-1700cc. Primitive humans had smaller brain cavities as compared to modern humans. Increase in brain cavity volume is a major change in human evolution.
Structure
It's made of 8 cranial bones fused together by suture joints. These bones provide structural support and protection to the brain. It houses meninges, cranial nerves and most importantly brainBrain floats inside the Cranial Cavity
Yes our brain is floating in a fluid inside our cranium. This is a protective mechanism as the weight of a 1 kg brain can destroy the soft tissue structure if it rests as it is in the cavity. By making it float in a liquid, pressure is evenly distributed through the cavity.Space is pretty tight in brain
There are three components in the intracranial compartment namely brain tissue, arterial and venous blood. According to the Monro-Kellie principle any increase in one of these components will come at the expense of another component. This could result in brain herniation( protrusion through an abnormal opening) and could be devastating after a traumatic injury.Cranial Cavity FAQs
What is Cerebrospinal fluid made up of?
Cerebrospinal is derived from blood plasma and is largely similar to it except that it is nearly protein free compared with plasma and has some different electrolyte levels.
What if the flow of Cerebrospinal fluid gets blocked inside the brains of children?
If the flow of CSF gets blocked it can lead to hydrocephalus in children as their bones of cranium haven't fused yet and cause severe disability in children.
What is microcephaly?
It’s a medical condition where babies have smaller than normal heads. It could be genetic or can be caused by infection and malnutrition in the mother. People suffering from this disorder often have intellectual disability.
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