Tongue: A Strong Muscle With Eight Functions

The tongue is a muscular organ situated in the oral cavity, and it is an accessory digestive organ. It is made up of eight different muscles that combine to form a flexible matrix. The muscles of the tongue can be divided in multiple ways, including by where they attach (internally or externally) or by the direction that the muscle fibres run. The tongue's muscles can also be classified as either intrinsic or extrinsic. The four intrinsic muscles alter the tongue's shape and are not attached to bone, while the four extrinsic muscles change the position of the tongue and are anchored to bone.

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The tongue is made up of eight muscles

The tongue is a muscular organ situated in the oral cavity, and it is an accessory digestive organ. It is made up of eight muscles, which are classified as either intrinsic or extrinsic. The four intrinsic muscles are not attached to any bone and change the shape of the tongue. They include the superior longitudinal, inferior longitudinal, transverse, and vertical muscles. These muscles affect the tongue's shape and size, playing a role in guiding our speech, eating, and swallowing.

The four extrinsic muscles originate from bone and extend to the tongue, anchoring the tongue to structures in the head and neck. They alter the position of the tongue, allowing for protrusion, retraction, and side-to-side movement. The extrinsic muscles include the genioglossus, hyoglossus, styloglossus, and palatoglossus. The genioglossus muscle is a large, thick muscle that contributes significantly to the shape of the tongue and enables the tongue to stick out of the mouth. The hyoglossus muscle is located in the floor of the oral cavity and is responsible for depressing and retracting the tongue. The styloglossus muscle is thin and paired, located on either side of the oropharynx, and is involved in retracting and elevating the tongue. The palatoglossus muscle is associated with the soft palate and is the only tongue muscle innervated by the vagus nerve.

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The tongue has two groups of muscles

The tongue is a muscular organ situated in the oral cavity, and it is made up of eight muscles. These muscles combine to form a flexible matrix, similar to an elephant's trunk. The tongue is known as a muscular hydrostat, as it is one of the few organs in the body composed entirely of muscle and works independently of the skeleton. The muscles of the tongue can be divided in two ways: by where they attach (internally to the tongue or to external structures) or by the direction that the muscle fibres run.

The intrinsic muscles, on the other hand, attach within the tongue and change its shape. They include the transversus linguae, verticalis linguae, superior longitudinal, inferior longitudinal, transverse, and vertical muscles. The transversus linguae muscle passes from the fibrous septum towards the lingual margin and blends in with the palatopharyngeus muscle. The verticalis linguae muscle runs from the dorsal aspect of the tongue and extends to the lateral margins of the ventral portions of the tongue. The superior longitudinal muscle sits just below the mucosa of the dorsal aspect of the tongue, forming a thin layer across the dorsum of the tongue. It extends from the epiglottic region to the tip of the tongue. The inferior longitudinal muscle lines the sides of the tongue and is joined to the styloglossus muscle. It functions to shorten and curl the tongue downward. The vertical muscle is located in the middle of the tongue and joins the superior and inferior longitudinal muscles. It functions to flatten the tongue. The transverse muscle divides the tongue in the middle and is attached to the mucous membranes that run along the sides. It functions to lengthen and narrow the tongue.

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Intrinsic muscles change the tongue's shape

The tongue is a muscular organ situated in the oral cavity. It is formed by eight paired muscles, four intrinsic and four extrinsic. The intrinsic muscles attach within the tongue and are responsible for changing its shape. They include the transversus linguae, verticalis linguae, superior longitudinal, inferior longitudinal, transverse, and vertical muscles. The transversus linguae muscle passes from the fibrous septum towards the lingual margin. The verticalis linguae muscle runs from the dorsal aspect of the tongue and extends to the lateral margins of the ventral portions of the tongue. The superior longitudinal muscle sits just below the mucosa of the dorsal aspect of the tongue, forming a thin layer across the dorsum of the tongue. It extends from the epiglottic region to the tip of the tongue and from the lingual septum to the lateral lingual margins. The extrinsic muscles, on the other hand, are responsible for altering the position of the tongue. They include the genioglossus, hyoglossus, styloglossus, and palatoglossus muscles.

The genioglossus muscle is a large, thick muscle that contributes significantly to the shape of the tongue. It enables the tongue to stick out of the mouth. The muscle arises from the mandibular symphysis and inserts into the body of the hyoid bone and the entire length of the tongue. The hyoglossus muscle is located in the floor of the oral cavity, immediately lateral to the geniohyoid. It arises from the hyoid bone and inserts into the lateral aspect of the tongue, passing between the lateral styloglossus and medial inferior longitudinal muscles. The styloglossus is a thin, paired muscle located on either side of the oropharynx. It originates from the styloid process of the temporal bone and inserts into the lateral aspect of the tongue. The palatoglossus muscle is associated with the soft palate and is innervated by the vagus nerve. It arises from the palatine aponeurosis and inserts into the side of the tongue, with some fibres meshing with the intrinsic transverse muscle.

The tongue has a rich motor and sensory innervation supplied by four cranial nerves. Most of the tongue's muscles are innervated by the hypoglossal nerve, except for the palatoglossus muscle, which is innervated by the vagus nerve via branches of the pharyngeal plexus. The arterial supply to the tongue is primarily from the lingual artery, a branch of the external carotid artery. Venous drainage is performed by the lingual vein, which empties into the internal jugular vein. The tongue plays a crucial role in digestion, taste perception, speech, and breathing. Its functions include sensation of taste, mastication (chewing), deglutition (swallowing), and clearing the oral cavity.

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Extrinsic muscles change the tongue's position

The tongue is a muscular organ situated in the oral cavity, and it is the only organ in the human body that is made up entirely of muscle. The tongue is formed by eight muscles, which are classified as either intrinsic or extrinsic. The four intrinsic muscles are not attached to any bone and are responsible for changing the shape of the tongue. On the other hand, the four extrinsic muscles are anchored to bone and are responsible for changing the tongue's position.

The four extrinsic muscles are the genioglossus, the hyoglossus, the styloglossus, and the palatoglossus. The genioglossus muscle is a large, thick muscle that contributes significantly to the shape of the tongue. It originates from the mandible and enables the tongue to stick out of the mouth. The hyoglossus muscle is located in the floor of the oral cavity, and it arises from the hyoid bone. It is responsible for the retraction and depression of the tongue. The styloglossus is a thin, paired muscle located on either side of the oropharynx. It is responsible for the retraction and elevation of the tongue.

The palatoglossus is the only extrinsic muscle of the tongue that is not innervated by the hypoglossal nerve but instead by the vagus nerve. It arises from the palatine aponeurosis and moves downwards, inserting into the side of the tongue. The contraction of the palatoglossus muscle elevates the posterior tongue, closes the oropharyngeal isthmus, and aids in the initiation of swallowing.

The extrinsic muscles of the tongue work together to change the tongue's position, allowing for protrusion, retraction, and side-to-side movement. These movements are essential for various functions, including speech, eating, and swallowing.

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The genioglossus muscle helps the tongue stick out

The tongue is a muscular organ situated in the oral cavity, and it has two groups of muscles: the extrinsic and intrinsic muscles. The extrinsic muscles attach the tongue to external regions and include the genioglossus muscle, which is attached to the superior mental spine of the mandible. The genioglossus is a large, thick muscle that contributes significantly to the shape of the tongue. It arises from the mandibular symphysis and inserts onto the body of the hyoid bone and the entire length of the tongue.

The genioglossus muscle enables the tongue to stick out of the mouth. Its contraction stabilizes and enlarges the portion of the upper airway that is most vulnerable to collapse. Relaxation of the genioglossus and geniohyoideus muscles, especially during REM sleep, is implicated in obstructive sleep apnea. Given this connection, the mandible can be pulled forward to maximise the airway space, and prevent the tongue from sinking backwards under anaesthesia and obstructing the airway. The genioglossus is often used as a proxy to test the function of the hypoglossal nerve (CN XII), by asking a patient to stick out their tongue. Peripheral damage to the hypoglossal nerve can result in deviation of the tongue to the damaged side.

The hypoglossal nerve, or cranial nerve 12, helps control the tongue. It controls the genioglossus, hyoglossus, styloglossus, and intrinsic muscles. These muscles help with speaking, swallowing, and moving substances around in the mouth. The hypoglossal nerve is a motor nerve that carries signals to and from the brain to control muscle movement.

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