Exploring the relationship between soft and hard tissues: The example of vertebral arteries and transverse foramina.

ABSTRACT: Understanding how the brain is provided with glucose and oxygen is of particular interest in human evolutionary studies. In addition to the internal carotid arteries, vertebral arteries contribute significantly to the cerebral and cerebellar blood flow. The size of the transverse foramina has been suggested to represent a reliable proxy for assessing the size of the vertebral arteries in fossil specimens. To test this assumption, here, we statistically explore spatial relationships between the transverse foramina and the vertebral arteries in extant humans. Contrast computed tomography (CT) scans of the cervical regions of 16 living humans were collected. Cross-sectional areas of the right and left transverse foramina and the corresponding vertebral arteries were measured on each cervical

SUBMITTER: de Jager E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9296038 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature