The Endocranial Vascular System: Tracing Vessels

Abstract

The vascular system is distributed throughout the cerebral, connective, and bony elements of the braincase, and it supplies an anatomical connection between these three components of the endocranial morphology. The imprints and traces left by arteries and veins in the bone thickness and surface can be useful in the analysis of vascular features in fossil specimens and archaeological samples. These traits can provide indirect physiological or morphogenetic information associated with evolutionary changes, demographic relationships, or individual life history. Digital anatomy and computed morphometrics have represented a major advance in the study of these craniovascular characters, for which there is still limited knowledge available regarding their variability, functions, and development. In this chapter, we present and discuss current evidence on the imprints of middle meningeal vessels, diploic veins, dural venous sinuses, and emissary veins. We review the morphological and functional information about these craniovascular features and their applications in paleontology, medicine, bioarchaeology, and forensic science.