Sezione di Antropologia, Soprintendenza al Museo Nazionale Preistorico Etnografico Luigi Pigorini, 00144 Rome, Italy.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2010 Jun;142(2):328-34. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.21271.
Qualitative and quantitative characterization through functional imaging of mineralized tissues is of potential value in the study of the odontoskeletal remains. This technique, widely developed in the medical field, allows the bi-dimensional, planar representation of some local morphometric properties, i.e., topographic thickness variation, of a three-dimensional object, such as a long bone shaft. Nonetheless, the use of morphometric maps is still limited in (paleo)anthropology, and their feasibility has not been adequately tested on fossil specimens. Using high-resolution microtomographic images, here we apply bi-dimensional virtual "unrolling" and synthetic thickness mapping techniques to compare cortical bone topographic variation across the shaft in a modern and a fossil human adult femur (the Magdalenian from Chancelade). We also test, for the first time, the possibility to virtually unroll and assess for dentine thickness variation in modern and fossil (the Neanderthal child from Roc de Marsal) human deciduous tooth roots. The analyses demonstrate the feasibility of using two-dimensional morphometric maps for the synthetic functional imaging and comparative biomechanical interpretation of cortical bone thickness variation in extant and fossil specimens and show the interest of using this technique also for the subtle characterization of root architecture and dentine topography. More specifically, our preliminary results support the use of virtual cartography as a tool for assessing to what extent internal root morphology is capable of responding to loading and directional stresses and strains in a predictable way.
通过对矿化组织进行功能成像的定性和定量描述，在牙体骨骼遗骸的研究中具有潜在价值。这项技术在医学领域得到了广泛的发展，允许对三维物体（如长骨骨干）的某些局部形态计量特性进行二维、平面表示，例如地形厚度变化。然而，形态计量图在（古）人类学中的应用仍然有限，其在化石标本上的可行性尚未得到充分验证。在这里，我们使用高分辨率微断层扫描图像，应用二维虚拟“展开”和综合厚度映射技术，比较了现代和化石人类成人股骨（沙克纳德的马格达莱尼亚人）骨干上皮质骨地形变化。我们还首次测试了在现代和化石（罗克德马萨尔的尼安德特儿童）人类乳牙根中虚拟展开和评估牙本质厚度变化的可能性。分析表明，使用二维形态计量图对现生和化石标本的皮质骨厚度变化进行综合功能成像和比较生物力学解释是可行的，并表明该技术也可用于细微特征化根结构和牙本质地形。更具体地说，我们的初步结果支持将虚拟制图用作评估内部根形态在多大程度上能够以可预测的方式响应加载和定向应力和应变的工具。
