Tongue
Updates to Article Attributes
The tongue is a complex, principally muscular, structure that extends from the oral cavity to the oropharynx. It has important roles in speech, swallowing and taste.
Gross anatomy
The tongue has a tip, ventral surfacedorsum, dorsalinferior surface and root. The tongue is made of a midline lingual septum and hyoglossus membrane, and multiple muscles 1,2,4. The muscles are divided into intrinsic and extrinsic muscle groups:
- intrinsic muscles of the tongue which do not have attachments outside the tongue and whose action is to alter the shape of the tongue:
- extrinsic muscles of the tongue (mnemonic) which have attachments outside the tongue and therefore their actions alter the positionof the tongue:
The tongue is divided into two parts at the level of the circumvallate papillae 1,3:
- mobile tongue: anterior two-thirds; part of the oral cavity
- includes root of tongue, which is considered separately due to its importance in oropharyngeal cancer
- base of tongue: posterior one-third; fixed; part of the oropharynx
The tongue is covered by a mucosa, which is roughened on the dorsal surface covered by filiform, fungiform and circumvallate papillae. Posteriorly, the base of the tongue contains the lingual tonsils 4.
On its inferior surface the tongue is usually joined to the floor of the mouth by a thin midline membrane, the frenulum of the tongue.
Arterial supply
- lingual artery (principally) but also branches from the facial and ascending pharyngeal arteries 4
Venous drainage
- follows arterial supply draining to the lingual, facial and/or internal jugular veins 4
Nerve supplyInnervation
- hypoglossal nerve (CN XII): intrinsic and extrinsic muscles (except palatoglossus muscle, which is supplied by the pharyngeal plexus)
-
lingual nerve
- sensory supply to the anterior two-thirds
- special sensory (taste) fibres diverge from the lingual nerve and travel with the facial nerve (CN VII) via chorda tympani
- glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX): sensory supply to posterior one-third 2
History and etymology
The word tongue is derived from an Old English word tunge, meaning the organ of phonation, or speech itself, and ultimately is thought to be derived from lingua, the Latin for tongue 7.
Related pathology
-<p>The <strong>tongue</strong> is a complex, principally muscular, structure that extends from the <a href="/articles/oral-cavity-1">oral cavity</a> to the <a href="/articles/oropharynx">oropharynx</a>. It has important roles in speech, swallowing and taste. </p><h4>Gross anatomy</h4><p>The tongue has a tip, ventral surface, dorsal surface and root. The tongue is made of a midline lingual septum and hyoglossus membrane, and multiple <a href="/articles/muscles-of-the-tongue">muscles</a> <sup>1,2,4</sup>. The muscles are divided into intrinsic and extrinsic muscle groups:</p><ul>- +<p>The <strong>tongue</strong> is a complex, principally muscular, structure that extends from the <a href="/articles/oral-cavity-1">oral cavity</a> to the <a href="/articles/oropharynx">oropharynx</a>. It has important roles in speech, swallowing and taste. </p><h4>Gross anatomy</h4><p>The tongue has a tip, dorsum, inferior surface and root. The tongue is made of a midline lingual septum and hyoglossus membrane, and multiple <a href="/articles/muscles-of-the-tongue">muscles</a> <sup>1,2,4</sup>. The muscles are divided into intrinsic and extrinsic muscle groups:</p><ul>
-</ul><p>The tongue is covered by a mucosa, which is roughened on the dorsal surface covered by filiform, fungiform and circumvallate papillae. Posteriorly, the base of the tongue contains the <a href="/articles/lingual-tonsils">lingual tonsils</a> <sup>4</sup>. </p><h4>Arterial supply</h4><ul><li>- +</ul><p>The tongue is covered by a mucosa, which is roughened on the dorsal surface covered by filiform, fungiform and circumvallate papillae. Posteriorly, the base of the tongue contains the <a href="/articles/lingual-tonsils">lingual tonsils</a> <sup>4</sup>. </p><p>On its inferior surface the tongue is usually joined to the floor of the mouth by a thin midline membrane, the frenulum of the tongue.</p><h4>Arterial supply</h4><ul><li>
-</li></ul><h4>Nerve supply</h4><ul>- +</li></ul><h4>Innervation</h4><ul>
-</ul><h4>Related pathology</h4><ul>-<li><a title="Ankyloglossia (tongue tie)" href="/articles/ankyloglossia-tongue-tie">ankyloglossia (tongue tie)</a></li>- +</ul><h4>History and etymology</h4><p>The word tongue is derived from an Old English word tunge, meaning the organ of phonation, or speech itself, and ultimately is thought to be derived from lingua, the Latin for tongue <sup>7</sup>.</p><h4>Related pathology</h4><ul>
- +<li><a href="/articles/ankyloglossia-tongue-tie">ankyloglossia (tongue tie)</a></li>
References changed:
- 7. Robert K. Barnhart, Sol Steinmetz. Chambers Dictionary of Etymology. (1999) <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?vid=ISBN9780550142306">ISBN: 9780550142306</a><span class="ref_v4"></span>