Vertical muscle of the tongue
The vertical muscle of the tongue is one of the four intrinsic muscles of the tongue which alters the shape of the tongue mass, being entirely confined to the tongue without an extraglossal attachment (cf. extrinsic muscles of the tongue).
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Gross anatomy
The muscles fibers attach proximally to the submucosal fibrous layer of the dorsum of the tongue and attach distally to the inferior surface of the apex and lateral tongue margins. They intersect with the fibers of the transverse intrinsic muscle lying between the superior and inferior longitudinal intrinsic muscles.
Innervation
Like all the intrinsic muscles of the tongue, it is innervated by the hypoglossal nerve (CN XII).
Action
The fibers act to flatten and broaden the tongue.
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Anatomy: Head and neck
- skeleton of the head and neck
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cranial vault
- scalp (mnemonic)
- fontanelle
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sutures
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- facial
- frontozygomatic suture
- frontomaxillary suture
- frontolacrimal suture
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- occipitotemporal suture (occipitomastoid suture)
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facial bones
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cranial vault
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muscles of facial expression
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- levator labii superioris alaeque nasalis muscle
- levator labii superioris muscle
- zygomaticus major muscle
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- malaris muscle
- levator anguli oris muscle
- risorius muscle
- depressors, retractors and evertors of the lower lip
- depressor labii inferioris muscle
- depressor anguli oris muscle
- mentalis muscle
- compound sphincter
- orbicularis oris muscle
- incisivus superior muscle
- incisivus inferior muscle
- muscle of mastication:
- elevators, retractors and evertors of the upper lip
- muscles of the middle ear
- orbital muscles
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- pharyngeal muscles
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common carotid artery
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arterial supply
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cranial nerves
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- optic nerve (CN II)
- oculomotor nerve (CN III)
- trochlear nerve (CN IV)
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trigeminal nerve (CN V) (mnemonic)
- trigeminal ganglion
- ophthalmic division
- maxillary division
- mandibular division
- abducens nerve (CN VI)
- facial nerve (CN VII)
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vestibulocochlear nerve (CN VIII)
- vestibular ganglion (Scarpa's ganglion)
- glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX)
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vagus nerve (CN X)
- superior laryngeal nerve
- recurrent laryngeal nerve (inferior laryngeal nerve)
- (spinal) accessory nerve (CN XI)
- hypoglossal nerve (CN XII)
- parasympathetic ganglia of the head and neck
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- third occipital nerve
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cervical plexus
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ansa cervicalis
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cranial nerves
- lymphatic drainage of the head and neck
- embryological development of the head and neck