for PINKFREUD please:

for some strange reason granny omits the first "t" in that word.  why?
could you give me some deep background (whatever $2 will buy) on that
root word atlanto/atlantal (medically speaking).  and if you'd also
paint a couple juicy mnemonic/word pictures so granny can remember this
in the future, it would be greatly appreciated.  in no rush and thank
you very much!

here's a photo link to get you started:
http://www.humanmuscles.8k.com/16a.htm

a pain in the neck,
GB

Granny,

My humongous unabridged Oxford English Dictionary says this about the
prefix atlanto- :

"Atlanto- comb. form of ATLAS (in the physiological sense), as in
atlanto-axial, etc."

Of "Atlas," the OED saith thusly:

"Atlas- phys. The first or uppermost cervical vertebra, which supports
the skull, being articulated above with the occipital bone (so in
Gr.)"

I can't explain why you tend to omit the first 't' in the word
atlantooccipital, but I have a suggestion: when you come across the
word, think of the mighty Atlas bearing the world on his shoulders. Of
course, if you omit the 't' from that thought, all you get is Alas.
;-)

Another mnemonic that might be of use would be to think of the
Atlantic ocean, though that doesn't have an immediate connection with
the body part in question, unless you have a mental picture of people
going to the beach and 'necking'.

Here's a bit of info that you may find interesting:

"The atlas is the first of the seven cervical vertebrae, and is called
such because it bears the direct weight of the skull, just as the
mythical Greek hero Atlas bore the world on his shoulders. The atlas
vertebra meets with the occipital condyles which flank the foramen
magnum in the basilar part of the occipital bone of the skull. This
junction forms the atlanto-occipital joint, and is responsible for the
primary articulation between the spine and the skull. It is the only
vertebra in the spine which has no vertebral body. The atlas vertebra,
in turn rests upon the axis vertebra, which is the second  of the
cervical vertebra in the spine, with the articulation between these 
two vertebra occurring at lateral articular surfaces and an unique 
juncture between a concave facet (on the atlas) and an
upward-protruding  structure on the axis called a dens."-NAAS,
http://www.nass.co.uk/spine.htm#2a

Anesthesia 2001
http://www.anesthesia2001.com/822_5/diabetes2.htm

My search strategy consisted of a visit to my old friend, the
unabridged OED. I have the version with the teeny-tiny print that you
need a magnifier to read, but these days I need a magnifier to read
darn near everything. I then conducted a Google search using the
keywords "atlanto," "atlas," and "vertebra."

Thanks for an interesting adventure in dictionaryland. It was anything
but a pain in the neck. ;-)

Best always,
pinkfreud

perfect.  that will supplant my "Alano" Morissette, whose voice is a
pain in my C1, quite nicely.  thanks for the new visual!

Gran,

Many thanks for the five-star rating and the nice tip!

~Pink