Connection of the Posterior Occipital Muscle and Dura Mater of the Siamese Crocodile

Abstract

The myodural bridge was proposed initially in 1995. The myodural bridge is a connective tissue bridge that connects a pair of deep muscles at the suboccipital region to the dura mater. There have been numerous studies concerning the morphology and function of the myodural bridge. To determine whether a myodural bridge exists in reptiles, six Siamese crocodiles were investigated using gross anatomy dissection and P45 sheet plastination technologies. As a result, we demonstrated that the posterior occipital muscles of the Siamese crocodile are directly or indirectly connected to the proatlas, atlas, and intermembrane between them. Multiple trabeculae existing in the posterior epidural space extended from the ventral surface of the proatlas, atlas, and intermembrane between them to the dorsal surface of the spinal dura mater. This study showed that the posterior occipital muscle in the suboccipital region of the Siamese crocodile is connected to the spinal dura mater through the proatlas, atlas, and the trabeculae. In conclusion, a myodural bridge-like structure exists in reptiles. This connection may act as a pump to provide cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation at the occipitocervical junction. We hypothesize that a physiologic role of the Siamese crocodile's myodural bridge may be analogous to the human myodural bridge. Anat Rec, 299:1402–1408, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.