Possible environment influence in spine segmentation anomalies

D'ANGELO DEL CAMPO MANUEL; PASTOR, LAURA; MEDIALDEA, LAURA; CABALLERO GRIJALBA, MONICA; GARCÍA LABORDE, PAMELA; SALEMME, MÓNICA; CAMPO MARTÍN, MANUEL; GONZÁLEZ MARTÍN, ARMANDO; SELDES, VERÓNICA; GUICHÓN, RICARDO

European Journal of Anatomy

Sociedad Anatomica Española

Año: 2023 vol. 27 p. 247 - 269

1136-4890

SUMMARYSegmentation anomalies of the spine transformations are relatively common in humans, mainly in adjacent regions. Its aetiology is multifactorial, a combination of genetic, environmental, and epigenetic interaction. A sample of 50 adult individuals of both sexes from two different sitesand chronologies of the current Argentine territory was examined. This work proposes a newapproach to analyse segmentation anomalies, considering the taphonomic characteristics ofthe spine, together with the most common occasional contour shifts of such anomalies. Likewise,a bibliographic review was conducted to compile the knowledge achieved to date on this topic. Theresults showed different patterns of expression of segmentation anomalies among the analysedsamples, with the lumbosacral transformations being the most prevalent. The similarities anddisparities observed between Southern Patagonian samples and Inuit populations suggestthat cold, as an environmental factor, could play an important role in the phenotypic plasticity ofhuman populations. Similarly, hypoxia could influence the sample from Pukará de Tilcara. Dueto the scarce existing methodological standardization for addressing segmentation anomalies,a systematization of the methods used to analyse segmentation anomalies is recommended; ourapproach is a proposal for this purpose.