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Brain reading through Face readingIt is interesting that by looking at somebody's face, one can usually gain some insight into that person's

personality. This leads us to think that the face may hold more information than is evident.

I have noticed some similarities between the anatomy of the skull and the face which may help us in

understanding this phenomenon.

As the skull base has been divided into anterior, middle and posterior cranial fossa, the face can also be

divided in three parts. (You may need to refer to figures from anatomy books for clarity)

Anterior cranial fossa and upper part of face share following features:

1. Orbital plate of frontal bone Forehead

2. Jugum of sphenoid bone Glabella

3. Lesser wing of sphenoid Supraorbital ridges

4. Cribriform plate of ethmoid bone Frontal air sinuses

Middle cranial fossa and the middle part of face show following similar features:1. Superior orbital fissure Orbit

2. Foramen rotundum Infraorbital foramen

3. Temporal lobe of cerebrum (seat of hearing-its position shifts from posterior to anterior during

embryologic development and its final position is behind sphenoid laterally) corresponds to

External ear or Pinna (organ of hearing-its position shifts from inferior to superior during

embryologic development and its final position is below the level of eyebrows laterally)

4. Insular lobe Vestibular apparatus

5. Petrous temporal bone Nasolabial furrow

Posterior cranial fossa and the lower portion of face show following features:1. Clivus Philtrum

2. External occipital protuberance Chin

3. Foramen magnum Oral fissure

4. Foramen caecum anterior to medulla Foramen caecum of tongue

5. Cerebellum Oral cavity

(Both have uvula, lingula, vallecula, 2 tonsils)

6. Brain stem Dangerous area of face

7. Dentate gyri of hippocampus Dentition of mouth

The vascularity of the brain and face also share some features.

1. Arterial supply by 2 arteries Vertebral and Internal carotid for the brain, External and Internal

carotid for the face

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2. Venous drainage Final drainage from brain occurs in the region behind the petrous bone, Final

drainage from face occurs in the region of the angle of mandible

3. Circle of Willis Kieselbachs plexus

4. Inferior petrosal sinus Angular vein of face

Brain atrophy in old age can be likened to appearance of wrinkles in old age.

Foramen magnum has shifted from its posteriormost position at skull base to a more anterior position

from quadrupedal animals and monkeys to apes to humans. As bipedal posture developed, hands becamefree, opposable thumbs developed and function of mouth (jaw) in manipulation of surroundings was

substantially overtaken by hands. This caused the mouth to lose its protruding prominence in the face and

the chin became more evident.

These similarities suggest that the face may hold more information about a person than is evident.

Interestingly, a face is not exactly symmetrical and there are minor differences which may be

unnoticeable. One of the differences observed is that the lower portion of the left cheek is fuller than the

right. This may correspond to the Planum temporale (posterior part of superior temporal gyrus) which is

thicker in the dominant left hemisphere in most cases.A complete systematic study in this regard is yet to be undertaken. I had tried but could not complete it

due to labile measurements and lack of standardization.

On doing some research, I found that attempts have been made previously to decode an individual's

nature by his appearance. The principles of phrenology, physiognomy and characterology were proposed

but lost favour due to their subjectiveness and lack of a sound scientific theory backing them. The

similarities arranged above may help to overcome this inadequacy.

Presently, the findings can be called coincidental but they cannot be ignored.

-Dr. Udit U. Saraf