The cranial cavity, also known as intracranial space, is the space within the skull that accommodates the brain. The skull minus the mandible is called the cranium. The cavity is formed by eight cranial bones known as the neurocranium that in humans includes the skull cap and forms the protective case around the brain. The remainder of the skull is called the facial skeleton. Meninges are protective membranes that surround the brain to minimize damage of the brain when there is head trauma. Meningitis is the inflammation of meninges caused by bacterial or viral infections. Structure The capacity of an adult human cranial cavity is 1,200–1,700 cm3. The spaces between meninges and the brain are filled with a clear cerebrospinal fluid, increasing the protection of the brain. Facial bones of the skull are not included in the cranial cavity. There are only eight cranial bones: The occipital, sphenoid, frontal, ethmoid, two parietal, and two temporal bones are fused together by the ossification of fixed fibrous sutures. The frontal and sphenoid bones are towards the front middle of the skull and in front of the temporal bone. The ethmoid bone is the bone at the roof of the nose that separates the naval cavity from the brain. It is a part of the dorsal cavity the cranial cavity and the spinal cord. The occipital bone is at the back of the skull. The dorsal cavity is lined by the three meninges. The three meninges are the three membranes that envelop the brain and spinal cord, in which the central nervous system developed, which are the pia mater, the arachnoid mater, and the dura mater. The latter is the thickest and outermost of the three membrane layers; it contains the most collagen, and it is derived from the mesoderm - the middle germ layer or the primary layer of the cells formed in embryogenic development via epigenetic effects induced by developmental cues, in the early embryo. Also there are the two parietal bones and the two temporal bones, which are a part of the dorsal cavity located on the posterior of the body. The occipital bone found in the rear of the skull is thicker to limit fractures caused by blows to the back of the head. The eight bones are blended together to form the cranial cavity. The pituitary gland is also found in the make up of the cranial cavity.