Population-level assessment of atlas occipitalization in artificially modified crania from pre-Hispanic Peru.

ABSTRACT: Atlas occipitalization (AO) is a spinal anomaly, characterized by the fusion of the first cervical vertebra and occipital bone, with a complex etiology that can arise from congenital and environmental causes. AO has been reported in three regions of pre-Hispanic Peru in skeletal remains with artificial cranial modification (ACM), which involves the use of compression devices to permanently alter cranial shape and may have affected the fusion of the atlas and occipital bone. The aims of this study were to gain insights into AO's etiology by testing correlations between AO and ACM presence/type and geographic region as well as to characterize morphological variation associated with AO. We investigated the geographic distribution of AO and its potential relationship to ACM in a large sample o

SUBMITTER: Pott LN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7514022 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature