The Skull It is the bone structure of the head, it is made up of a series of bones that are arranged acquiring the shape of a vault in its upper and posterior part, in front of them there is another group of bones in the form of a solid that give it shape to the face.
The cranial vault is made up of a total of 8 bones that have the function of housing the upper part of the central nervous system, also known as the encephalon, which is made up of the brain, the cerebellum and the brain stem. These bones present a series of holes and notches that allow the exit of the skull of the nerves that originate in this part of the nervous system, there are twelve in total and emerge bilaterally, which is why they are called cranial nerves. Likewise, these ducts allow the arteries to enter the skull, such is the case of the internal carotid artery and the vertebral arteries, as well as the exit of the veins, such as the jugular vein and the vertebro basilar veins.
In the lower part of its posterior end is the foramen magnum, where it communicates with the spinal cord, this hole also allows the continuous drainage of the cerebrospinal fluid that circulates around the brain and spinal cord.
The skull has an important protective function of the brain, in the case of the brain and the brainstem this protection is crucial for subsistence since in both structures are the regulatory centers of functions such as consciousness, respiration, cardiac activity, blood pressure and temperature regulation, which are critical life functions.
From birth and until the first years of childhood, the bones of the skull are united by a soft tissue, known as cartilage, which allows them to grow at the same rate as the brain, these unions are six in total, however only two are more evident and are located in the upper part of the skull, where they give rise to two openings known as fontanelles, in adolescence the joints between the bones are consolidated and the skull acquires its maximum resistance.
Although the rigid union of the bones of the skull protects the nervous system, it is also a factor against it, since in the event of infections, trauma or accidents of the brain or meninges in which inflammation or hemorrhage occurs, the skull constitutes an element that prevents an increase in the volume of tissues or blood pooling. These phenomena increase the pressure inside the skull, which leads the lower part of the cerebellum to descend through the foramen magnum, which compresses the centers that control respiration at the level of the brainstem, producing immediate death. This phenomenon is called "interlocking." and it occurs in severe cases of meningitis, cerebral strokes or hemorrhages, cerebrovascular accidents, abscess-like infections of the nervous system and in some cases of intracranial tumors.
