Trabecular bone ontogeny of the human talus

TY - JOUR

T1 - Trabecular bone ontogeny of the human talus

AU - Reid, Rebecca A. G.

AU - Davies, Catriona

AU - Cunningham, Craig

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s). The Anatomical Record published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Association for Anatomy.

PY - 2025/9/15

Y1 - 2025/9/15

N2 - Studies of trabecular ontogeny may provide insight into the factors that drive healthy bone development. There is a growing understanding of how the juvenile skeleton responds to these influences; however, gaps in our knowledge remain. This study aims to identify ontogenetic trabecular patterns and regional changes during development within the juvenile talus. This may provide further insight into how the talus adapts to changing biomechanical influences during development. Thirty-six tali ranging in age from 28 intrauterine weeks to 14 postnatal years of age from the Scheuer Juvenile Collection were examined using micro-computed tomography. Trabecular bone was analyzed using a volume of interest approach in addition to whole bone mapping. Trabecular development of the talus followed previously reported ontogenetic trabecular patterns. Fetal, perinatal, and early infant trabecular structure appeared to be dictated by ossification and vascular patterns, whilst after 1 year of age trabeculae adapted to the bipedal gait. This trabecular organization continued to mature until 8 years of age, after which only trabecular thickness and bone volume fraction increased. The fetal, perinatal, and early infant trabecular structure may be mainly driven by genetic programming. With loading of the talus associated with the attainment of bipedal gait at approximately 1 year of age, the trabecular architecture appears to adapt to facilitate these forces. The most substantial changes occur between approximately 1–8 years of age, after which changes appear to be driven by an increase in loading associated with growth. Despite this, there are still some changes, in regions such as the posterior subtalar facet, after 8 years that signal continued maturation of the bipedal gait.

AB - Studies of trabecular ontogeny may provide insight into the factors that drive healthy bone development. There is a growing understanding of how the juvenile skeleton responds to these influences; however, gaps in our knowledge remain. This study aims to identify ontogenetic trabecular patterns and regional changes during development within the juvenile talus. This may provide further insight into how the talus adapts to changing biomechanical influences during development. Thirty-six tali ranging in age from 28 intrauterine weeks to 14 postnatal years of age from the Scheuer Juvenile Collection were examined using micro-computed tomography. Trabecular bone was analyzed using a volume of interest approach in addition to whole bone mapping. Trabecular development of the talus followed previously reported ontogenetic trabecular patterns. Fetal, perinatal, and early infant trabecular structure appeared to be dictated by ossification and vascular patterns, whilst after 1 year of age trabeculae adapted to the bipedal gait. This trabecular organization continued to mature until 8 years of age, after which only trabecular thickness and bone volume fraction increased. The fetal, perinatal, and early infant trabecular structure may be mainly driven by genetic programming. With loading of the talus associated with the attainment of bipedal gait at approximately 1 year of age, the trabecular architecture appears to adapt to facilitate these forces. The most substantial changes occur between approximately 1–8 years of age, after which changes appear to be driven by an increase in loading associated with growth. Despite this, there are still some changes, in regions such as the posterior subtalar facet, after 8 years that signal continued maturation of the bipedal gait.

KW - bipedalism

KW - bone development

KW - micro-computed tomography

KW - ontogeny

KW - talus

KW - trabecular analysis

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105016252764

U2 - 10.1002/ar.70048

DO - 10.1002/ar.70048

M3 - Article

C2 - 40948196

SN - 1932-8486

JO - Anatomical Record: Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology

JF - Anatomical Record: Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology

ER -