The sagittal suture is a dense, fibrous connective tissue

Connective tissue

"Connective tissue" is a fibrous tissue. It is one of the four traditional classes of tissues . Connective Tissue is found throughout the body.In fact the whole framework of the skeleton and the different specialized connective tissues from the crown of the head to the toes determine the form of...

 joint

Joint

A joint is the location at which two or more bones make contact. They are constructed to allow movement and provide mechanical support, and are classified structurally and functionally.-Classification:...

 between the two parietal bone

Parietal bone

The parietal bones are bones in the human skull which, when joined together, form the sides and roof of the cranium. Each bone is roughly quadrilateral in form, and has two surfaces, four borders, and four angles. It is named from the Latin pariet-, wall....

s of the skull

Human skull

The human skull is a bony structure, skeleton, that is in the human head and which supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.In humans, the adult skull is normally made up of 22 bones...

. The term is derived from the Latin word Sagitta, meaning "arrow". The derivation of this term may be demonstrated by observing how the sagittal suture is notched posteriorly, like an arrow, by the lambdoid suture

Lambdoid suture

The lambdoid suture is a dense, fibrous connective tissue joint on the posterior aspect of the skull that connects the parietal and temporal bones with the occipital bone.Its name comes from its lambda-like shape....

. The sagittal suture is also known as the "interparietal suture" and the "sutura interparietalis."

At birth, the bones of the skull do not meet. If certain bones of the skull grow too fast then "premature closure" of the sutures may occur. This can result in skull deformities. If the sagittal suture closes early the skull becomes long, narrow, and wedge-shaped, a condition called "scaphocephaly

Scaphocephaly

Scaphocephaly , derived from the Greek skaphe , describes a specific variety of a long narrow head that resembles an inverted boat....

."

Two anatomical landmarks are found on the sagittal suture: the bregma

Bregma

The bregma is the anatomical point on the skull at which the coronal suture is intersected perpendicularly by the sagittal suture.-Location:The bregma is located at the intersection of the coronal suture and the sagittal suture on the superior middle portion of the calvarium...

, and the vertex of the skull

Vertex (anatomy)

In arthropod and vertebrate anatomy, the vertex refers to the upper surface of the head.In humans, the vertex is formed by four bones of the skull: the frontal bone, the two parietal bones, and the occipital bone...

. The bregma is formed by the intersection of the sagittal and coronal suture

Coronal suture

The coronal suture is a dense, fibrous connective tissue joint that separates the frontal and parietal bones of the skull. At birth, the bones of the skull do not meet.-Pathology:...

s. The vertex is the highest point on the skull and is often near the midpoint of the sagittal suture.