Facial morphology is one of the most complex and variable features of each individual that determine part of the physical identity of the face. Part of this physical identity is determined by the degree of prominence of the nasion, the bony fusion point of the nasal bones and the frontal bone of each person.
Nasion prominence
The interindividual variation of facial shape is one of the most remarkable among humans that confers their identity, and the morphogenesis and modeling of the face is one of the most complex events of embryogenesis in humans and mammals in general. This stems from the wide spectrum of subtle variations in facial and neighboring tissues that characterize facial appearance in the human population, and supports the high incidence of congenital craniofacial anomalies described to date.
One of the key points of facial variability consists of the prominence, or outward protrusion, of the nasion. This structure is the point of intersection of the frontal bone and two nasal bones of the human skull and consists of the deepest point on the face between the eyebrows, just above the bridge of the nose. The morphological variability in this region is represented by the degree of prominence of this point towards the facial exterior, which is different in each individual.
Genes analyzed
PAX3
Bibliography
Liu F et al. A genome-wide association study identifies five loci influencing facial morphology in Europeans. Gibson G, editor. PLoS Genet, 2012; 8(9): e1002932.
Paternoster L et al. Genome-wide association study of three-dimensional facial morphology identifies a variant in PAX3 associated with nasion position. Am J Hum Genet, 2012; 90(3):478–85.
