Dural venous sinuses are channels between which layers of the dura mater, receiving blood from deep cerebral and superficial cortical veins to drain blood from the cranial cavity out through which veins?

• A. Periosteal and meningeal layers of dura mater; Internal Jugular Veins
• B. Arterial channels supplying the brainstem
• C. Lymphatic channels in the dura
• D. Nerve plexuses in the dura mater

Answer: (A)

Dural venous sinuses are venous channels formed where the two layers of the dura mater—the periosteal (outer) layer and the meningeal (inner) layer—separate. They collect blood from deep cerebral veins, superficial cortical veins, and related diploic/emissary vessels, and channel it out of the cranial cavity through the internal jugular veins. They are not arterial pathways, lymphatic channels, or nerve plexuses, which is why those other options don’t fit.