Ligament · Neck

Anterior atlanto occipital ligament

Membrana atlantooccipitalis anterior

A dense broad sheet joining the front of the ring of the atlas to the front margin of the foramen magnum, closing the gap between skull and first vertebra from in front. At its edges it merges with the capsules of the two atlanto-occipital joints, and in the midline it is reinforced by a strong cord — once again the top end of the anterior longitudinal ligament, which by this point has run the entire length of the spine to arrive here. It is the structure that stops the head tipping too far back on the atlas.