Q:
What is the function of the fontanels?
A:
Quick Answer
The function of fontanels is to allow a baby's brain to grow during the first year of life and for the baby's head to pass through the birth canal. Fontanels are the soft areas between the bones of the skull.
Continue Reading
Credit:
Monashee Alonso
Caiaimage
Getty Images
Full Answer
By the time an infant reaches 19 months of age, all fontanels should have ossified. Babies have two fontanels: the anterior and the posterior. The posterior fontanel closes within the first few months of life, while the anterior one closes much later. If the fontanels close too early, the baby's brain cannot grow in that direction and will grow in another direction, causing misshaping of the head.
Doctors can tell if a baby is dehydrated by feeling the fontanels. A sunken fontanel indicates that the child needs fluids.
Learn more about Human AnatomySources:
Related Questions
-
Q:
How does the inner ear affect equilibrium?
A: The inner ear affects equilibrium by sensing movement of the head and sending appropriate signals to the brain through the acoustic nerve, according to the... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
How do you use a brain function diagram?
A: Brain function diagrams make it easy to illustrate what parts of the brain are associated with different thought processes, bodily functions and other ment... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
When does a baby head to the birth canal?
A: Babies go toward the birth canal shortly before birth, which should be around a woman's due date, according to Women's Health. It's hard to say exactly whe... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
What happens in the alimentary canal?
A: The alimentary canal, or digestive tract, is the pathway through the body that food and beverages take once they enter the mouth and go into the digestive ... Full Answer >Filed Under:
You May Also Like
-
Q:
What does it mean when your ring finger is longer than your index finger?
-
Q:
What is the main function of the quadriceps?
-
Q:
Approximately how long does it take for each drink consumed to leave your body?
-
Q:
How to wake up someone from deep sleep?
-
Q:
How can you build intestinal bacteria?
-
Q:
What is the function of the deltoids?
