What are the hair-like channels that connect lacunae to each other and to the central canal?

What are the hair-like channels that connect lacunae to each other and to the central canal?

• A. Canaliculi
• B. Lamellae
• C. Osteons
• D. Perforating canals

Answer: (A)

The hair-like channels connecting lacunae to one another and to the central canal are canaliculi. These tiny passageways house the extensions of osteocytes and form a network that links all the osteocytes within an osteon to each other and to the central (Haversian) canal. Through canaliculi, nutrients, waste, and signaling molecules pass, and communication between osteocytes occurs via gap junctions, helping maintain bone tissue and respond to mechanical loads. Lamellae are the concentric bone matrix layers around the central canal, osteons are the entire repeating units, and perforating canals run laterally to connect different osteons, not the lacunae themselves.

The hair-like channels connecting lacunae to one another and to the central canal are canaliculi. These tiny passageways house the extensions of osteocytes and form a network that links all the osteocytes within an osteon to each other and to the central (Haversian) canal. Through canaliculi, nutrients, waste, and signaling molecules pass, and communication between osteocytes occurs via gap junctions, helping maintain bone tissue and respond to mechanical loads. Lamellae are the concentric bone matrix layers around the central canal, osteons are the entire repeating units, and perforating canals run laterally to connect different osteons, not the lacunae themselves.