Dissertation Research: The Structure and Function of Trabecular Bone in the Proximal Femur of Strepsirhine Primates

小梁骨主要位于骨骼的关节区域，由骨棒和骨板相互连接的网络组成。一百多年来，人们一直假设小梁骨在动物肌肉骨骼系统中起着重要的结构作用，并通过生长动态响应施加的载荷。尽管这种假设的重要性，很少有工作检查小梁骨的结构和力学。本研究的目的有三个：1)量化亚洲和非洲小型灵长类动物懒猴和加拉戈斯的股骨头骨小梁的三维结构，2)确定任何结构差异的意义，3)评估骨小梁结构在已灭绝灵长类动物运动行为重建中的作用。这些目标将通过量化骨小梁的三维结构和构建有限元模型来确定髋关节的应力分布来解决。确定小梁骨结构和运动行为之间的关系将反过来为包括人类在内的灵长类动物的解剖学、行为和运动提供见解。这项研究将使我们更好地了解灵长类动物髋关节小梁骨的重要性，从而增加我们对行为与骨形态之间关系的认识。此外，对骨骼结构的理解将有助于我们对人类和其他灵长类动物骨骼发育和骨质流失的理解，从而提高人们对身体活动和行为在骨骼发育和流失中的作用的认识。

Trabecular bone is found primarily in the joint regions of skeletal elements and consists of an interconnected network of bony rods and plates. It has been hypothesized for over a hundred years that trabecular bone plays an important structural role in the musculoskeletal system of animals and that it dynamically responds to applied loads through growth. Despite this hypothesized importance, there has been very little work examining the structure and mechanics of trabecular bone. The objectives of this study are threefold: 1) to quantify the three-dimensional structure of trabecular bone in the femoral head of lorises and galagos - small primates from Asia and Africa, 2) to determine the significance of any structural differences, and 3) to assess the utility of trabecular bone structure for the reconstruction of locomotor behavior in extinct primates. These objectives will be addressed by quantifying the structure of trabecular bone in three-dimensions and by constructing finite element models to determine the stress distribution in the hip joint. The determination of a relationship between trabecular bone structure and locomotor behavior will, in turn, provide insights into the anatomy, behavior, and locomotion of primates including humans. This study will lead to a greater understanding of the importance of trabecular bone in the hip joint of primates, thereby increasing our knowledge of the relationship between behavior and bone morphology. In addition, an understanding of bone structure will contribute to our understanding of bone development and bone loss in humans and other primates, leading to an increased awareness of the role of physical activity and behavior on the development and loss of bone in general.