Muscles of the Tongue

Description

Muscles of the Tongue

Tongue muscles

Name

• Tongue Muscles

General

• Muscular structure located on the floor of the oral cavity
• Primary taste organ, plays a key role in initiating swallowing

Intrinsic Muscles

• General
  • Named for the direction they travel
  • Affect the shape and size of the tongue
  • Role in speech, eating and swallowing
  • Innervated by Hypoglossal Nerve
• Muscles
  • Superior longitudinal
  • Inferior longitudinal
  • Transverse
  • Vertical

Extrinsic Muscles

• General
  • Originate from structures outside the tongue, insert onto it
  • Innervated by Hypoglossal Nerve, except palatoglossus is innervated by Vagus Nerve
• Genioglossus
  • Origin: mandibular symphysis
  • Insertion: body of the hyoid bone, length of the tongue
  • Function: Protrusion (‘sticking the tongue out’), depression of the tongue
• Hyoglossus
  • Origin: hyoid Bone
  • Insertion: lateral aspect of tongue
  • Function: Depression and retraction of the tongue
• Styloglossus
  • Origin: styloid process of the temporal bone
  • Insertion: lateral aspect of the tongue
  • Function: Retraction and elevation of the tongue
• Palatoglossus
  • Origin: palatine aponeurosis
  • Insertion: broadly along the tongue
  • Function: Elevation of the posterior tongue

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Clinical Significance

• Needs to be updated

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See Also

• HEENT Anatomy Main
• Muscle Anatomy Main
• HEENT Main

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