The neurocranium consists of bones that surround and encase the brain. Overall, it is formed by eight bones.

The neurocranium is made up of the following four unpaired bones:

• Frontal bone (Read more!) - curved bone that forms the forehead;
• Ethmoid (Read more!) - irregularly shaped bone that forms the roof of the nasal cavity and contributes to the nasal septum;
• Sphenoid (Read more!) - butterfly-shaped bone that contributes to the middel cranial fossa and is found in the middle of the skull;
• Occipital bone (Read more!) - the most posteriorly positioned bone that surrounds the foramen magnum.

The neurocranium is formed by the following two paired bones:

• Parietal bone (Read more!) - quadrilateral-shaped bone that contributes to the superior aspect of the skull;
• Temporal bone (Read more!) - irregularly shaped bone that contributes to the lateral aspect of the skull and houses structures of the vestibulocochlear apparatus.

Note: The temporal bone houses three auditory ossicles - malleus, incus, and stapes.