Sharpey's fibres
Sharpey's fibres (bone fibres, or perforating fibres) are a matrix of connective tissue consisting of bundles of strong collagenous fibres connecting periosteum to bone. They are part of the outer fibrous layer of periosteum, entering into the outer circumferential and interstitial lamellae of bone tissue.
In the teeth, Sharpey's fibres are the ends of principal fibres (of the periodontal ligament) that insert into the cementum. A study on rats suggests that the three-dimensional structure of Sharpey's fibres intensifies the continuity between the periodontal ligament fibre and the alveolar bone (tooth socket), and acts as a buffer medium against stress. Sharpey's fibres in the primary acellular cementum are mineralized fully; those in cellular cementum and bone are mineralized only partially at their periphery. [1]
In the skull the main function of Sharpey's fibres is to bind the cranial bones in a firm but moveable manner; they are most numerous in areas where the bones are subjected to the greatest forces of separation. In the spine, similar fibres join the intervertebral disk to the adjacent vertrebrae. [2] Each fibre is accompanied by an arteriole and one or more nerve fibres. [3]
Scottish anatomist William Sharpey described them in 1846.
References
- ^
Kuroiwa, M (1994). "Electron microscopic studies on Sharpey's fibers in the alveolar bone of rat molars". Kaibogaku Zasshi. 69 (6): 776–82. PMID 7887126.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Gerald L. Burke. "Backache: From Occiput to Coccyx". MacDonald Publishing. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
- ^
Retzlaff, EW (1982-3). "Efficacy of Cranial Sacral Manipulation: The Physiological Mechanism of the Cranial Sutures". J Soc. Osteopaths (12). ISSN 0308-8766.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help)
 | This human musculoskeletal system article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |