ArticlesAnatomyNeuroanatomyMeninges, ventricular system and subarachnoid space Dura mater

ArticlesAnatomyNeuroanatomyMeninges, ventricular system and subarachnoid space Dura mater

Dura mater

Author: Nicola McLaren, MSc • Reviewer: Dimitrios Mytilinaios, MD, PhD
Last reviewed: June 04, 2024
Reading time: 6 minutes

The meninges are three layers of connective tissue that surround, support and protect the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). From superficial to deep these layers are named the dura, arachnoid and pia. The dura mater is a thick, tough, fibrous membrane. It receives blood and nerve supply from the meningeal arteries, veins and nerves.

Terminology	English: Dura Latin: Dura Synonym: Dura mater
Definition	Dura is the thick outer most layer of the 3 meninges.
Function	The thick fibrous dura surrounds, supports and protects the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). In the cranium the dura forms folds to form partitions of the cranial cavity, and separates in places to form dural venous sinuses.
Dural folds	Falx cerebri: separates left and right cerebral hemispheres. Located in the longitudinal cerebral fissure Falx cerebelli: Separates the two cerebellar hemispheres Tentorium cerebelli: Separates the cerebrum from the cerebellum Diaphragma sellae: Forms a lid or roof over the hypophysial fossa of sphenoid, covering the pituitary gland.
Dural venous sinuses	Superior sagittal sinus, inferior sagittal sinus, straight sinus, occipital sinus, transverse sinus, sigmoid sinus, marginal sinus, superior petrosal sinus, petrosquamous sinus, petrosquamous sinus, cavernous sinus, sphenoparietal sinus, intercavernous sinus

Contents

Cranial dura mater
Spinal dura mater
Innervation
Sources

+ Show all

Cranial dura mater

In the cranium, the dura consists of two layers; an outer periosteal dura and an inner meningeal dura. The periosteal dura is closely attached to the internal surface of the skull bones while the inner meningeal dura is continuous with the dura of the spinal cord. The periosteal dura and meningeal dura are tightly fused together, except in a few places where they separate to form the dural venous sinuses; spaces that collect venous blood from the large veins of the brain. The dural venous sinuses are named as follows; superior sagittal sinus, inferior sagittal sinus, straight sinus, occipital sinus, transverse sinus, sigmoid sinus, marginal sinus, superior petrosal sinus, inferior petrosal sinus, petrosquamous sinus, cavernous sinus, sphenoparietal sinus, intercavernous sinus. The straight, occipital, transverse and superior sagittal sinuses all meet at the confluence of the sinuses. Arachnoid granulations, small tufts of arachnoid, protrude through the dura mater into the dural venous sinuses. They are the site of cerebrospinal fluid absorption into dural venous sinuses. Another feature of cranial dura are the dural folds. These are reflections of the inner meningeal dura which divide the cranium into separate compartments. The four dural folds are the falx cerebri, tentorium cerebelli, falx cerebelli, diaphragma sellae; in brief, they separate the cerebral and cerebellar hemispheres into divisions.

Spinal dura mater

In the spinal cord, only one layer of dura mater is found. Unlike in the cranium, the dura is not closely integrated with the overlying bones. Instead, a space exists between the dura and the vertebral bones known as the epidural space. The inferior aspect of the spinal dural sac is anchored to the coccyx by a thin connective tissue strand called the filum terminale.

Innervation

The innervation of the cranial dura mater is primarily sourced from the trigeminal (CN V) and vagus CN X) nerves, as well as spinal nerves C2/C3.

Trigeminal nerve

Several branches of the trigeminal nerve supply the dura mater:

The tentorial branch of the ophthalmic nerve (CN V1), also known as the recurrent meningeal branch, supplies much of the supratentorial dura mater (i.e., posterior half of the falx cerebri, calvarial dura and superior surface of the tentorium cerebelli).
The meningeal branch of the anterior ethmoidal nerve (branch of the nasociliary nerve (ophthalmic nerve)) supplies the central region of the anterior cranial fossa as well as anterior parts of the falx cerebri.
The meningeal branch of the maxillary nerve (CN V2) provides innervation to the posterior region of the anterior cranial fossa as well as the anterior portion of the middle cranial fossa.
The meningeal branch of the mandibular nerve (CN V3) supplies the posterolateral parts of the middle cranial fossa, before extending anteriorly to the lateral region of the anterior cranial fossa.

Vagus nerve

The posterior and lateral regions of the posterior cranial fossa and inferior surface of the tentorium cerebelli are all primarily innervated by the meningeal branch of the vagus nerve (which arises from its superior ganglion).

Spinal nerves C2/C3

The central region of the posterior cranial fossa, around the foramen magnum, receives innervation from sensory nerve fibers whose cell bodies are located in the spinal ganglia of spinal nerves C2/C3. The nerves may present as ascending branches of the meningeal branch of these spinal nerves which ascend the vertebral canal into the cranial cavity, via the foramen magnum. Alternatively, communicating branches of spinal nerves C2/C3 may pass to the hypoglossal nerve (CN XII), entering the cranial cavity via the meningeal branch of the hypoglossal nerve (via the hypoglossal canal). Some references occasionally also describe meningeal branches derived from the facial (CN VII) and glossopharyngeal (CN IX) nerves as supplying the posterior cranial fossa, however this remains debated.

Spinal dura

The innervation of the spinal dura mater is derived from a meningeal branch of each spinal nerve. It arises near the division of the spinal nerve into anterior and posterior rami, close to the gray/white rami communicating branches, before coursing through the intervertebral foramen into the vertebral canal.

Learn more about the meninges of the brain with this study unit:

Sources

All content published on Kenhub is reviewed by medical and anatomy experts. The information we provide is grounded on academic literature and peer-reviewed research. Kenhub does not provide medical advice. You can learn more about our content creation and review standards by reading our content quality guidelines.

Moore, K. L., Dalley, A. F., & Agur, A. (2017). Clinically oriented anatomy (8th ed.). Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

Standring, S. (2016). Gray's Anatomy (41st ed.). Edinburgh: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone.

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