An assessment of the role of the falx cerebri and tentorium cerebelli in the cranium of the cat (Felis silvestris catus)

The falx cerebri and the tentorium cerebelli are two projections of the dura mater in the cranial cavity which ossify to varying degrees in some mammalian species. The idea that the ossification of these structures may be necessary to support the loads arising during feeding has been proposed and dismissed in the past, but never tested quantitatively. To address this, a biomechanical model of a domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) skull was created and the material properties of the falx and tentorium were varied for a series of loading regimes incorporating the main masticatory and neck muscles during biting. Under these loading conditions, ossification of the falx cerebri does not have a significant impact on the stress in the cranial bones. In the case of the tentorium, however, a localised increase in stress was observed in the parietal and temporal bones, including the tympanic bulla, when a non-ossified tentorium was modelled. These effects were consistent across the different an...

大脑镰（falx cerebri）和小脑幕（tentorium cerebelli）是颅腔内硬脑膜（dura mater）的两处突起，在部分哺乳动物中会发生不同程度的骨化。过去曾有人提出这些结构的骨化可能是支撑进食时产生的负荷所必需的观点，但该观点随后被否定，且从未经过定量验证。为解决这一问题，研究人员构建了家猫（Felis silvestris catus）颅骨的生物力学模型，并针对一系列包含咬合时主要咀嚼肌和颈部肌肉的加载方案，调整了大脑镰和小脑幕的材料属性。在这些加载条件下，大脑镰的骨化对颅骨应力无显著影响。然而，对于小脑幕而言，当模拟非骨化状态时，顶骨和颞骨（包括鼓泡）中观察到局部应力升高。这些效应在不同的解剖...