
The frontalis muscle is a muscle of facial expression that covers parts of the forehead of the skull. It is the only muscle that raises the eyebrows, and its function goes beyond keeping the brows out of one's visual field; it is also necessary for conveying emotions and nonverbal communication. The frontalis muscle is thin, quadrilateral, and broader than the occipitalis, and its fibres are longer and paler in colour. It is supplied by the facial nerve and receives blood from the supraorbital and supratrochlear arteries.
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What You'll Learn

Location
The frontalis muscle is located at the front of the head, covering parts of the forehead. It is also referred to as the frontal belly of the occipitofrontalis muscle. The occipitofrontalis is composed of two muscle bellies: the frontalis and the occipitalis, which are attached and encased by dense connective tissue called the epicranial aponeurosis or galea aponeurotica. The occipital part of the occipitofrontalis muscle moves the scalp forwards, while the frontalis part lifts the brows and moves the anterior scalp backward.
The frontalis muscle is the only elevator muscle for the brows. It is the sole muscle that raises the eyebrows, and its function goes beyond keeping the brows out of one's visual field. The frontalis muscle also plays a significant role in our day-to-day social interactions and nonverbal communication. It is responsible for conveying emotions and is, therefore, a muscle of facial expression.
The frontalis muscle is a pair of large, fan-like muscles that extend from the eyebrow region to the top of the forehead. The medial margins of the frontalis muscles are joined together for some distance above the root of the nose. The muscle fibres blend with the surrounding facial muscles, including the procerus, corrugator supercilii, and orbicularis oculi muscles. The corrugator musculature originates from the frontal bone near the superomedial orbital rim and inserts into the dermis of the forehead skin.
The frontalis muscle receives its blood supply from branches of both the internal and external carotid arteries. The supratrochlear and supraorbital arteries supply the muscle from the inferior margin after they exit the orbit and travel up the forehead. The supraorbital nerve supplies the majority of the scalp, and its superficial branch supplies the sensation to the forehead skin and anterior scalp.
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Function
The frontalis muscle is responsible for raising the eyebrows and wrinkling the forehead. It is the only muscle that raises the eyebrows and is therefore the sole elevator muscle for the brows. When the frontalis muscle contracts, the vertical fibres pull the skin of the eyebrows upward, creating horizontal wrinkles on the forehead.
The frontalis muscle is also known as the frontal belly of the occipitofrontalis muscle. The occipitofrontalis is composed of two muscle bellies: the frontalis and the occipitalis, which are attached and encased by dense connective tissue called the epicranial aponeurosis or galea aponeurotica. The occipital part of the occipitofrontalis muscle moves the scalp forwards, while the frontalis part lifts the brows and moves the anterior scalp backward.
The frontalis muscle is located on the front of the head and covers parts of the forehead of the skull. It is thin, of a quadrilateral form, and intimately adherent to the superficial fascia of the eyebrows. The muscle has no bony attachments. Its medial fibres are continuous with those of the procerus muscle, while its intermediate fibres blend with the corrugator supercilii and orbicularis oculi muscles, attaching to the skin of the eyebrows. The lateral fibres of the frontalis muscle are also blended with the latter two muscles.
The frontalis muscle is innervated by the temporal branches of the facial nerve (CN VII) and receives blood supply from the supratrochlear and supraorbital arteries, which are branches of the ophthalmic artery, itself a branch of the internal carotid artery. The supraorbital nerve supplies the majority of the scalp.
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Blood supply
The frontalis muscle is located at the front of the head, covering parts of the forehead. It is the only muscle that raises the eyebrows, and it is also responsible for wrinkling the forehead. This muscle is thin and quadrilateral in form, with longer and paler fibres than the occipitalis. It is broader than the occipitalis, and its medial fibres are continuous with those of the procerus muscle. Its intermediate fibres blend with the corrugator and orbicularis oculi muscles, attaching to the skin of the eyebrows, while its lateral fibres are also blended with the latter two muscles.
The frontalis muscle is part of a larger structure, the occipitofrontalis muscle or epicranius, which is composed of two muscle bellies: the frontalis and the occipitalis. The occipitofrontalis is a long and wide muscle of the scalp, spanning from the eyebrows to the superior nuchal lines of occipital bones. The two bellies of the occipitofrontalis are connected by a thick fibrous sheath called the epicranial aponeurosis or galea aponeurotica.
The frontalis muscle receives its blood supply from branches of both the internal and external carotid arteries. The supratrochlear and supraorbital arteries supply the muscle from the inferior margin after they exit the orbit and travel up the forehead. The supraorbital artery exits from the supraorbital notch or foramen, while the supratrochlear artery exits medially from the orbit. They are both branches of the ophthalmic artery, which is a branch of the internal carotid artery.
The supratrochlear and supraorbital arteries separate into superficial and deep branches after exiting. The superficial arteries supply the muscle, galea, and skin, while the deeper layer supplies the periosteum. The supratrochlear and supraorbital arteries supply a bulk of the blood medially, and the frontal branch, which comes off of the superficial temporal artery, supplies the muscle more laterally. The main venous drainage occurs between three veins: the supratrochlear vein, the supraorbital vein, and the lateral frontal vein. These three veins are connected through a transverse vein that runs superior to the orbit, known as the transverse supraorbital vein.
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Innervation
The frontalis muscle is located on the front of the head, covering parts of the forehead. It is the only muscle that raises the eyebrows, but it also wrinkles the forehead. The frontalis muscle is part of the occipitofrontalis muscle, which is made up of two muscle bellies: the frontalis and the occipitalis. The frontalis muscle is innervated by the facial nerve (CN VII), which exits the skull at the stylomastoid foramen. The facial nerve separates into five main branches: temporal, zygomatic, buccal, marginal mandibular, and cervical.
The temporal branch of the facial nerve is responsible for the deep innervation of the frontalis muscle. It crosses over the zygomatic arch, passes through the areolar tissue on the surface of the temporal fascia, and then enters the frontalis muscle. The temporal branch of the facial nerve runs within the superficial layer of the temporoparietal fascia, with the temporal artery positioned just anterior to the nerve.
The frontalis muscle is supplied by the supratrochlear and supraorbital arteries, which are branches of the ophthalmic artery, a branch of the internal carotid artery. The supratrochlear and supraorbital nerves run along these arteries and penetrate the frontalis muscle to reach the superficial skin. These nerves are branches of the ophthalmic division of the trigeminal nerve and innervate the skin overlying the muscle, rather than the muscle itself.
The frontalis muscle is intimately adherent to the superficial fascia of the eyebrows and blends with adjacent muscles: the procerus, corrugator supercilii, and orbicularis oculi muscles. The balance between these muscles determines the eyebrow position and shape. The frontalis muscle plays a significant role in day-to-day social interactions and nonverbal communication, as it is the only muscle that raises the eyebrows.
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Attachments
The frontalis muscle is a muscle of facial expression and is the only muscle that raises the eyebrows. It adheres to the superficial fascia of the eyebrows and blends with adjacent muscles (procerus, corrugator supercilii, orbicularis oculi) anteriorly. The frontalis muscle does not have any bony attachments. Its medial fibres are continuous with those of the procerus muscle, and its lateral fibres are also blended with the latter muscle. The frontalis muscle originates from the galea aponeurotica and inserts at the skin of the eyebrows and nose. Its functionality raises the eyebrows, resulting in wrinkles in the forehead skin.
The frontalis muscle is part of a larger structure referred to as the occipitofrontalis muscle or epicranius. The occipitofrontalis is composed of two muscle bellies: frontalis and occipitalis, which are attached and encased by dense connective tissue called the epicranial aponeurosis or galea aponeurotica. The occipital part of the occipitofrontalis muscle moves the scalp forwards, and the frontalis part lifts the brows and moves the anterior scalp backward. The frontalis muscle receives its blood supply from branches of both the internal and external carotid arteries. The supratrochlear and supraorbital arteries supply the muscle from the inferior margin after they exit the orbit and travel up the forehead. The supraorbital artery can exit from the supraorbital notch/foramen, while the supratrochlear artery exits medially from the orbit. The supraorbital and supratrochlear veins are also involved in the venous drainage of the frontalis muscle, along with the lateral frontal vein.
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Frequently asked questions
The frontalis muscle is a muscle that covers parts of the forehead of the skull. It is the only muscle that raises the eyebrows.
The frontalis muscle is responsible for raising the eyebrows and causing horizontal wrinkles on the forehead when it contracts. It is also necessary for conveying emotions and non-verbal communication.
The frontalis muscle is composed of two muscular bellies, known as the frontal and occipital bellies, which are divided by an epicranial aponeurosis.
The frontalis muscle is located on the front of the head, extending from the eyebrow region to the top of the forehead.
The frontalis muscle receives its blood supply from branches of both the internal and external carotid arteries, specifically the supratrochlear and supraorbital arteries.











































