The position of axis for rotation at the intervertebral joint was investigated 
using ten Japanese monkeys. The position of axis for rotation at the intervertebral joint 
was shifted from dorsal to ventral direction on the superior and inferior views of the 1st 
thoracic vertebra and was next shifted from ventral to dorsal direction on the superior 
and inferior views of the 10th thoracic vertebra, with some exceptions. X-ray 
examination demonstrated that in the Japanese monkeys, lordosis was seen in both the 
cervical and lower lumbar(L5-L7) spine, whereas kyphosis was seen in the thoracic and 
upper lumbar (L1-L4) spine. Therefore, the possibility that the position of axis for 
rotation at the intervertebral joint was related to the curvature of the spinal column was 
not supported by the present study

Azuma, Cho

Furuta, Kazumko

Hayashi, Motoharu

Itami, Yoshitaka

Koizumi, Kohta

Moriwake, Yumi

Saikawa, Solchiro

Satoh, Shinya

Takamura, Yosmaki

Tohno, Setsuko

Tohno, Yosmyuki

Zuo, Shogo

English

Global Institutional repository of Nara Medical University

AXIS FOR ROTATION AT THE INTERVERTEBRAL ]OINT IN ]AP ANESE MONKEYS Yos田 n疋1TOHN01)， SETSUKO TOI丑'I01)，KAz日立KOFURUT N)， CHO AZUMN)， Yos阻 TAKAITAMP)， KOHTA KOIZUMP)， SOIC回 ROSAlKAWN)， SHINYA SATOW)， SHOGO ZU03)， Yos阻 AKITAKAl¥瓜JRN)，YUMI MORIWAKE1)， and MOTOHARU HAYASHI') 1) Lぬoγatoη01Cel Biology， Depart:棚況:tolAJ拙 :tomy2) Depaiγt慌開:tolOγthope必cSurgery 3) [};刈'ergra似ateSぬdents，N.αγαMedical [};叩er.託:ty4) Dゆartm肌 .t01 CelulaγandMo/eαuaγBiology， A九mα'teR，目印γchInstitute， Kyoto [};筑間的ityReceived December 3， 2003 (43) Abstract : The position ofaxis for rotation at the intervertebral joint was investigated using ten ]apanese monkeys. The position ofaxis for rotation at the intervertebral joint was shifted from dorsal to ventral direction on the superior and inferior views of the 1st thoracic vertebra and was next shifted .from ventral to dorsal direction on the superior and inferior views of the 10th thoracic vertebra， with some exceptions. X -ray examination demonstrated that in the ]apanese monkeys， lordosis was seen in both the cervical and lower lumbar (L5-L 7) spine， whereas kyphosis was seen in the thoracic and upper lumbar (L1-L4) spine. Therefore， the possibility that the position ofaxis for rotation at the intervertebral joint was related to the curvature of the spinal column was not supported by the present study. Key words : intervertebral joint， ]apanese monkey， spinal column， accessory process 町TRODUCTIONThere are some reports1，2) on the structure o.f vertebrae in monkeys. It is known that long and slender accessory processes are present in the range benveen the lower thoracic and upper lumbar vertebrae of monkeysl， 2). The authors3) observed that long and slender accessory processes were present in the range beween the 10th thoracic and the 5th lumbar vertebrae of a baboon. However， there were few reports on the axis of rotation at the intervertebral joint of monkeys. Therefore， the authors investigated the axis of rotation at the intervertebral joint using ]apanese monkeys. It was .found that the position ofaxis for rotation at the intervertebral joint was shifted from dorsal to ventral direction on the superior and inferior views of the 1st thoracic vertebra and was next sh江tedfrom ventral to dorsal direction on the superior and inferior views of the 10th thoracic vertebra， with some exceptlOns. MATERlALS AND METHODS Materials The animal experiment was carried out in accordance with the US NIH Guide .for the care and use of laboratory animals. ]apanese monkeys were bred at the Primate Research Institute， Kyoto University. The monkeys were pretreated with intramuscular injection of (44) Y. Tohno et aL ketamine hydrochloride (10 mg/kg) and deeply anesthetized by intravenous administration of pentobarbital sodium (Nembutal; 30 mg/kg). The monkeys were sacrified by severing the common carotid artery. The spinal columns were resected and photographed by a soft X-ray apparatus. Thereafter， the vertebrae were resected from the spinal columns. X-Ray Examination Spinal columns were photographed with a soft X -ray apparatus (Softex type E40; Softex Co.， Osaka， ]apan) as described previously4l. RESULTS Structure of Vertebrae Ten ]apanese monkeys ranging in age from 2 to 29 years old were studied. The backbone of the ]apanese monkey was composed of 7 cervical， 12 thoracic， 7 lumbar， 3 sacral， and 9-16 coccygeal vertebrae. As shown in Fig. 1， long and slender accessory processes were present Fig. 1. Lateral (A) and posterior (B) vi巴wsof the lower thoracic and upper lumbar vertebrae in仕leJapanese monkey (2 years old) The Intervertebral ]oint in ]apanese Monkeys Fig. 2. Lateral view of the 1st and 2nd lumbar vertebrae in 仕le]apanese monkey (2 ye紅 sold). A， 1， and S denote 仕le accessory， inferior articular， and superior articular processes， respectively. (45) in the range from the 10th thoracic to the 5th lumbar vertebrae. The accessory process was absent from the last two lumbar vertebrae of the 6th and 7th lumbar vertebrae. The transverse processes of the thoracic vertebrae cranial to the 8th thoracic vertebra projected horizontally， but the accessory processes declined at an angle of 600 to 700 to horizontality in the出oracicand lumbar vertebrae caudal to the 8th thoracic vertebra (Fig. 1A). Although the superior articular processes were not tightly held in the 11th and 12th thoracic vertebrae (Fig. 1B)， they were tightly held between the accessory and inferior articular processes of the adjacent vertebra in the range between the 1st and 5th lumbar vertebrae (Fig. 2). Therefore， the rotation movement of the spinal column was much restricted in the range betw巴enthe 1st and 5th lumbar vertebrae. Rotation Movement of Intervertebral Joint The axis of rotation at the intervertebral joint was examined in the cervical， thoracic， and lumbar vertebrae of ten ]apanese monkeys. Figure 3 indicates that the position ofaxis for rotation is shifted from dorsal to ventral direction on the superior and inferior views of the 1st thoracic vertebra. The position ofaxis for rotation was dorsal in the 2nd-7th cervical vertebrae， whereas it was ventral in the thoracic vertebra caudal to the 2nd thoracic vertebra. Th巴 samefinding was obtained in al of the other nine cases of the ]apanese monkeys (46) Y. Tohno et al. Fig.3. Th巴 uppershift of the position ofaxis from dorsal to ventral direction for rotation at the intervertebral joint. Th巴 whitecirc1es show the rotation movement at吐leintervertebral joint. A， inf，ぽiorview of the 7th cervical vertebra; B， superior view of the 1st thoracic vertebra; C， inferior view of the 1st thoracic vertebra; and D， superior view of也e2nd thoracic vertebr旦Figure 4 indicates that the position ofaxis for rotation is shifted from ven仕alto dorsal direction on the superior and inferior views of th巴 10ththoracic vertebra in the ]apanese monkey. The position ofaxis for rotation was ventral in the thoracic vertebrae cranial to 也e10th thoracic vertebra， whereas it was dorsal in the 11th and 12th thoracic and al of the lumbar vertebrae. The same finding was obtained in seven other cases; in one case each the position ofaxis for rotation was shifted from ventral to dorsal direction on the superior and inferior views of出e9th thoracic vertebra (9-year-old subject) or the 11th thoracic vertebra (24-year-old subject). The shift ofaxial position for rotation at the intervertebral joint occurs sudden1y on the superior and inferior views of both the 1st and 10th thoracic vertebrae， but does not occur gradualy. The Intervertebral ]oint in ]apanese Monkeys (47) Fig. 4. The lower shift of the position ofaxis from venむalto dorsal direction for rotation at the intervertebral joint. The white circles show the rotation movement at the intervertebral joint. A， inferior view of the 9th thoracic vertebra; B， superior view of the 10th thoracic vert巴bra;C， inferior view of the 10th thoracic vertebra; and D， superior view of the 11仕1thoracic vertebra. (48) Y. Tohno et al. Fig.5. X-ray photograph of the spinal colurnn in the Japanese monkey(8 y回 rsold). T1，白e1st thoracic vertebra; T10，仕le10th thoracic vertebra; L5， the 5th lumbar vertebra; and S， sac口江nThe Intervertebral Joint in Japan巴s巴Monkeys (49) Relationship Between也ePosition ofAxis for Rotation and Curvature of Spinal Column To ex訂ninethe relationship between the position ofaxis for rotation at the intervertebral joint and the curvature of the spinal colurnn， the spinal colurnns were photographed beforehand with a soft X -ray apparatus， and thereafter the vertebrae were resected from the spinal colurnns. Figure 5 shows an X -ray photograph of the spinal colurnn from an 8-year-old ]apanese monkey. The position ofaxis for rotation at the intervertebral joint was shifted from dorsal to ventral direction on the superior and inferior views of the 1st thoracic vertebra and was next shifted from ventral to dorsal direction on the superior and inferior views of the 10th thoracic vertebra. Lordosis was seen in both the cervical and lower lurnbar (L5-L7) spine， whereas kyphosis was seen in the thoracic and upper lurnbar (LI-L4) spine. Therefore， the possibility that the position ofaxis for rotation at the intervertebral joint is dorsal in the spinal site of lordosis， whereas it is ventral in the spinal site of kyphosis， was not supported by the present study. DISCUSSION The present study revealed that the position ofaxis for rotation at the intervertebral joint was shifted from dorsal to ventral direction on the superior and inferior views of the 1st thoracic vertebra and was next shifted from ventral to dorsal on the superior and inferior views of the 10th thoracic vertebra， with some exceptions. Kimura et al.l) studied the vertebrae of crab-eating monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) and reported that the last two thoracic and the 1st-5th lumbar vertebrae had a distinct accessory process ventral to the inferior articular process， and the superior articular and mamillary processes were tightly held between the accessory and inferior articular processes of the adjacent vertebra. The accessoηT processes in the vertebrae of the ]apanes巴 monkeywere morphologically similar to those of the crab-eating monkey. 1n the present study， the backbone of the ]apanese monkey was composed of 7 cervical， 12 thoracic， 7 lurnbar， 3 sacral， and 9-16 coccygeal vertebrae. Schultz2) reported that the backbone of Macaca was composed of 7.0 cervical， 19.0 thoracic plus lurnbar， 3.0 sacral， and 17.0 coccygeal vertebrae on the average. The coccygeal vertebrae of the ]apanese monkey were slightly fewer in number than those of Macaca reported by SchultzZ) 1n the case of the crab-eating monkeyl)， itwas suggested that the position ofaxis for rotation at the intervertebral joint was shifted from ventral to dorsal direction on the superior and inferior views of the 10th thoracic vertebra. Human vertebrae present in Nara Medical University were examined and it was found that the position ofaxis for rotation at the intervertebral joint was shifted from ven仕alto dorsal direction on the superior and inferior views of the 12th thoracic vertebra in 12 out of 17 cases， whereas it was shifted on the superior and inferior views of the 11th thoracic vertebra in 5 out of 17 cas巴s.Based on clinical observations， Gregersen and Lucas5) suggested a possible shift of the axial rotation from the disc center of the thoracic vertebra to the pedicle of the lumbar vertebra. The authors3) investigated the vertebrae of a baboon and observed也atthe position of axis for rotation at the intervertebral joint was shifted from dorsal to ventral direction on the (50) Y. Tohno et al superior and inferior views of the 1st thoracic vertebra and was next shifted from ventral to dorsal direction on the superior and inferior views of the 10th thoracic vertebra. Preuschoft et a1.6) studied a curvature of the lumbar spine in ]apanes巴 Macaquestrained for bipedalism and reported that ]apanese monkeys gradually acquired a pronounced lordosis of the lumbar spine. They revealed that it was due to a relative increase of the ventral lengths of the vertebral bodies. lt is interesting to speculate whether the position ofaxis for rotation at the intervertebral joint is modified by training for bipedalism. There is a possibility that the position ofaxis for rotation at the intervertebral joint is related to the curvature of the spinal column， namely it is dorsal in the spinal site of lordosis， whereas it is ventral in the spinal site of kyphosis. The present study revealed that the position ofaxis for rotation at the intervertebral joint was dorsal， but not ventral， in the lower thoracic (Tll-T12) and upper lumbar (Ll-L4) spine of kyphosis. Therefore， the finding of the ]apanese monkeys did not support the possibility. lncidentally， slender accessory processes restricted the rotation movement of spinal column in the lower thoracic and upper lumbar spine. ACKNOWLEDGMENT. This study was conducted under the Cooperation Research Program of the Primate Research lnstitute， Kyoto University. REFERENCES 1) Kim町a，K.， Ko凶shi，M.， Tal泊hashi，Y. and Iwamoto， S.: The ske1eta1 system of Macaca fascicu1aris Description and m巴asurement.Part II. The vertebrae. J. Nat1. Def. Med. Col1. 11 : 19-34， 1986. 2) Schultz， A. H. : Vertebra1 co1urnn and thorax. Primato1. 4 : 1-66， 1961. 3) Tohno， Y.， Tohno， S.， Furuta， K.， Morimoto， M.， Moriwake， Y.， Azuma， C.， Yamada， M.-{). and Hayashi， M. : Structure and bone minera1 density of baboon vertebra巴.J. Nara Med. Assoc. 54， 247-255， 2003 4) Tohno， Y.， Tohno， S.， Matsumoto， H.皿 dNaito， K. : A tria1 of in仕oducingsoft X -ray app訂 atusinto dissection practice for students. J. Nara Med. Assoc. 36 : 365-370， 1985. 5) Gregersen， G. G.阻 dLucas， D. B. : An in vivo 町 dyof the axia1 rotation of the human thoraco1umbar spine. ]. Bone Joint Surg. 49A : 247-262， 1967 6) Preuschoft， H.， Hayama， S.and Gunther， M. M. : Curvature of the 1umbar spine as a consequence of mechanical necessities in Japanese Macaques trained for bipeda1ism. Fo1ia Primato1. 50 : 42-58， 198. 

AXIS FOR ROTATION AT THE INTERVERTEBRAL JOINT IN JAPANESE MONKEYS

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AXIS FOR ROTATION AT THE INTERVERTEBRAL JOINT IN JAPANESE MONKEYS

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