Dominic Stone
The cricothyroid muscle is an intrinsic laryngeal muscle that facilitates vocalization. It is a bilaterally paired muscle found deep in the anterior compartment of the neck. The muscle originates from the anterolateral part of the arch of the cricoid cartilage and inserts into the inside of the thyroid cartilage. The cricothyroid muscle is responsible for producing tension and elongation of the vocal cords, allowing us to speak and sing. It is also known as the singer's muscle due to its ability to alter the tone of voice and create forceful speech. The muscle is supplied by the cricothyroid artery and innervated by the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve. Understanding the anatomy and function of the cricothyroid muscle is crucial for surgical planning and treating voice disorders.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type | Intrinsic muscle of the larynx |
| Function | Facilitates vocalization, allowing you to speak and sing |
| Location | Deep in the anterior compartment of the neck |
| Structure | Small, bilaterally paired muscle |
| Attachments | Originates from the anterolateral aspect of the arch of the cricoid cartilage and attaches to the inferior margin and inferior horn of the thyroid cartilage |
| Innervation | External branch of the superior laryngeal nerve, which is a branch of the vagus nerve |
| Blood Supply | Cricothyroid artery, a branch of the superior thyroid artery |
| Neighbors | Cricothyroid ligament, thyroid cartilage, cricothyroid joint, lateral cricoarytenoid muscles, inferior constrictor muscle, infrahyoid muscles, thyroid gland |
| Effect on Vocal Cords | Produces tension and elongation, increasing the distance between the attachments of the cords and resulting in higher pitch phonation |
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What You'll Learn
- The cricothyroid muscle is one of the intrinsic laryngeal muscles
- It facilitates vocalization and phonation
- It is innervated by the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve
- The cricothyroid muscle is supplied by the cricothyroid artery
- It is involved in the movement of the individual components of the larynx
The cricothyroid muscle is one of the intrinsic laryngeal muscles
The cricothyroid muscle is indeed one of the intrinsic laryngeal muscles. It is a small, bilaterally paired muscle found deep in the anterior compartment of the neck, between the cricoid and thyroid cartilages of the larynx. The muscle fibres separate and travel in two groups: oblique and straight. The oblique part travels posterolaterally to insert onto the inferior horn of the thyroid cartilage, while the straight part takes a sharper incline to insert onto the inferior margin of the lamina of the thyroid cartilage.
The main function of the cricothyroid muscle is to facilitate vocalization, allowing humans to speak and sing. It produces tension and elongation of the vocal cords, increasing the distance between the vocal processes and the angle of the thyroid, resulting in higher pitch phonation. The cricothyroid muscle is also known as the "singer's muscle" because it alters the tone of voice and creates forceful speech by stretching and tensing the vocal ligaments.
The cricothyroid muscle is innervated by the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve, which leaves the brain via the vagus nerve roots. The vagus nerve provides motor innervation to the cricothyroid muscle, and it is the only intrinsic laryngeal muscle that is not supplied by the recurrent laryngeal nerve. The recurrent laryngeal nerve innervates all the other intrinsic muscles of the larynx.
The cricothyroid muscle has several important neighbours that serve as landmarks for surgical planning. It is separated from its counterpart by the cricothyroid ligament, which is crucial when establishing an emergency airway. The cricothyroid artery, a branch of the superior thyroid artery, supplies blood to the cricothyroid muscle. This artery crosses superiorly on the anterior cricothyroid ligament to meet its counterpart.
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It facilitates vocalization and phonation
The cricothyroid muscle is a bilaterally paired muscle found deep in the anterior compartment of the neck. It is one of the intrinsic laryngeal muscles, accompanied by six other muscles. The main function of the cricothyroid muscle is to facilitate vocalization and phonation. This short muscle resides deep in the anterior neck, between the cricoid and thyroid cartilages of the larynx. It originates from the anterolateral part of the arch of the cricoid cartilage.
The cricothyroid muscle produces tension and elongation of the vocal cords. They draw up the arch of the cricoid cartilage and tilt back the upper border of the cricoid cartilage lamina. The distance between the vocal processes and the angle of the thyroid is increased, elongating and thus tensing the vocal folds, resulting in higher pitch phonation. The thyroarytenoid muscle, conversely, shortens the vocal fold by contracting. While this could be expected to lower the pitch, studies have found that isolated thyroarytenoid activation actually raises the pitch, although less steeply than cricothyroid activation.
The interplay of cricothyroid and thyroarytenoid muscle activation controls not only pitch but also register. Phonation in humans occurs in at least two different voice regimes, the "chest" or modal voice, and the "head" or falsetto voice. While head voice generally occurs at a higher pitch than chest voice, some overlap exists so that a given pitch can be produced in either register by one speaker. Registers are recognizable by their different timbres, with the head voice sounding breathier due to more airflow exiting the nasopharynx.
The cricothyroid muscle is innervated by the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve, which leaves the brain via the vagus nerve roots. The recurrent laryngeal nerve innervates all the intrinsic muscles of the larynx except the cricothyroid. The cricothyroid muscle is supplied arterially by the cricothyroid artery, which arises from the superior thyroid artery, a branch of the external carotid artery.
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It is innervated by the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve
The cricothyroid muscle is a small, bilaterally paired muscle found deep in the anterior compartment of the neck. It is one of the intrinsic laryngeal muscles, which facilitate vocalization. The cricothyroid muscle produces tension and elongation of the vocal cords, increasing the pitch of the sound produced.
The cricothyroid muscle is innervated by the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (SLN), which is a motor nerve. The SLN is a branch of the vagus nerve (CN X), which arises from the middle of the inferior ganglion of the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve provides motor innervation to the cricothyroid muscle. The external branch of the SLN is the smaller of the two branches of the SLN, the other being the internal branch. The internal branch provides sensory innervation to the mucosa above the vocal cords, while the external branch innervates the cricothyroid muscle.
The external branch of the SLN originates near the tip of the greater horn of the hyoid bone, lateral to the pharynx and posterior to the carotid arteries. It runs anteriorly and inferiorly along with the superior thyroid artery towards the cricothyroid muscle. The nerve enters the cricothyroid muscle laterally on its deep surface. The external branch of the SLN is closely associated with the superior thyroid vascular pedicle at the capsule of the superior pole of the thyroid. This proximity puts the nerve at risk of injury during thyroid surgeries.
The external branch of the SLN also contributes to the innervation of the pharyngeal plexus, which innervates the palate and pharynx. It communicates with the superior cardiac nerve and gives branches to the pharyngeal plexus and the superior portion of the inferior pharyngeal constrictor. In some cases, a branch of the external branch of the SLN forms an anastomosis with the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN), contributing to the motor innervation of parts of the thyroarytenoid muscle and potentially influencing vocal cord adduction.
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The cricothyroid muscle is supplied by the cricothyroid artery
The cricothyroid muscle is a small, bilaterally paired muscle found deep in the anterior compartment of the neck. It is one of the intrinsic laryngeal muscles, accompanied by six other muscles. The main function of the cricothyroid muscle is to facilitate vocalization, allowing you to speak and sing. This short muscle resides deep in the anterior neck, between the cricoid and thyroid cartilages of the larynx. It originates from the anterolateral part of the arch of the cricoid cartilage. The muscle fibres then separate to travel in two groups – oblique and straight. The inferiorly located oblique part travels posterolaterally to insert onto the inferior horn (cornu) of the thyroid cartilage. The straight part travels posterosuperiorly, taking a sharper incline than the fibres of the oblique part, to insert onto the inferior margin of the lamina of the thyroid cartilage.
The cricothyroid muscle produces tension and elongation of the vocal cords. They draw up the arch of the cricoid cartilage and tilt back the upper border of the cricoid cartilage lamina. The distance between the vocal processes and the angle of the thyroid is increased, elongating and thus tensing the vocal folds, resulting in higher-pitch phonation. They work as antagonists to the posterior cricoarytenoid muscles.
The cricothyroid muscle is innervated by the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve, which is a part of the vagus nerve system. The vagus nerve (CN X) provides motor innervation to the cricothyroid muscle by way of the external branch of the laryngeal nerve. It is the only member of the intrinsic muscles of the larynx that is not supplied by the recurrent laryngeal nerve. The recurrent laryngeal nerve innervates all the intrinsic muscles of the larynx except the cricothyroid.
Arterial supply to the cricothyroid muscle is from the cricothyroid artery. This artery arises from the superior thyroid artery, which is a branch of the external carotid artery. The cricothyroid artery crosses superiorly on the anterior cricothyroid ligament to meet with its contralateral counterpart. A similarly named vein drains the cricothyroid muscle. It is a tributary of the superior thyroid vein, which drains into the internal jugular vein. When the cricothyroid muscle contracts, it pulls the thyroid cartilage downward and anteriorly, causing rotation about the cricothyroid joint. This narrows the space between the thyroid and cricoid cartilages, and moves the thyroid cartilage away from the arytenoid cartilage. The cricothyroid artery and the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve approach the muscle from a superolateral angle as it travels toward the midline.
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It is involved in the movement of the individual components of the larynx
The cricothyroid muscle is an intrinsic laryngeal muscle. The larynx, or voice box, is an organ located in the anterior neck and is a component of the respiratory tract. The muscles of the larynx can be divided into two groups: the external muscles and the internal muscles. The external muscles act to elevate or depress the larynx during swallowing. In contrast, the internal muscles, or intrinsic laryngeal muscles, act on the individual components of the larynx. They control the shape of the rima glottidis (the opening between the vocal folds and the arytenoid cartilages) and the length and tension of the vocal folds.
The cricothyroid muscle is one of seven intrinsic laryngeal muscles. It originates from the anterolateral part of the arch of the cricoid cartilage and attaches to the inferior margin and inferior horn of the thyroid cartilage. When the cricothyroid muscle contracts, it pulls the thyroid cartilage downward and anteriorly, causing rotation about the cricothyroid joint. This movement narrows the space between the thyroid and cricoid cartilages and moves the thyroid cartilage away from the arytenoid cartilage.
The main function of the cricothyroid muscle is to facilitate vocalization, allowing humans to speak and sing. It produces tension and elongation of the vocal cords, increasing the distance between the vocal processes and the angle of the thyroid, and thus lengthening and tensing the vocal folds. This results in higher-pitched phonation. The cricothyroid muscle also has a role in altering the tone of voice, along with the thyroarytenoid muscle, and is hence colloquially known as the "singer's muscle".
The cricothyroid muscle is innervated by the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve, which is a part of the vagus nerve system. The remaining intrinsic laryngeal muscles are innervated by the recurrent nerve. The cricothyroid muscle is the only intrinsic muscle of the larynx that is not supplied by the recurrent laryngeal nerve.
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Frequently asked questions
The cricothyroid muscle is a bilaterally paired muscle found deep in the anterior compartment of the neck. It is one of the intrinsic laryngeal muscles.
The cricothyroid muscle facilitates vocalization, allowing you to speak and sing. It does this by pulling the thyroid cartilage downward and forward, lengthening and tensing the vocal cords.
The cricothyroid muscle is found in the neck, between the cricoid and thyroid cartilages of the larynx.
The cricothyroid muscle receives arterial supply from the cricothyroid artery, a branch of the superior thyroid artery.
The cricothyroid muscle is the only intrinsic muscle of the larynx that is not supplied by the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Instead, it is innervated by the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve, also known as the external branch of the laryngeal nerve.
