Cranial cavity
Body cavities
Latin cavitas cranii
Gray's subject #
MeSH [1]
Cranial cavity

The cranial cavity, or intracranial space, is the space formed inside the skull. The brain occupies the cranial cavity, which is lined by the meninges and which contains cerebrospinal fluid to cushion blows.

Eight fused cranial bones together form the cranial cavity: the frontal, occipital, sphenoid and ethmoid bones, and two each of the parietal and temporal bones.[1]

The capacity of an adult human cranial cavity is 1,200-1,700 cm3.[2]

See alsoEdit


  1. Martini R, Ober W, Garrison C, Welch K, and Hutchings RT. 2001. Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology, 5th ed. Prentice Hall, New Jersey. p. 195.
  2. Turchin VF. The Phenomenon of Science. Chapter 5. Retrieved on February 5, 2007.

External linksEdit


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