
The vocalis muscle is a small, strand-like muscle that sits parallel to the vocal ligament. It is a paired intrinsic laryngeal muscle, originating at the lateral surface of the vocal process of arytenoid cartilage and attaching to the anterior part of the vocal ligament near the thyroid cartilage. The vocalis muscle, along with the vocal ligament and the thyroarytenoid muscle, forms the deepest structure of the mucous membrane-covered vocal folds, which are essential for sound production.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type | Intrinsic laryngeal muscle |
| Location | Originates at the lateral surface of the vocal process of the arytenoid cartilage, runs anteromedially across the laryngeal inlet, and attaches to the anterior part of the vocal ligament near the thyroid cartilage |
| Structure | Small, strand-like muscle |
| Function | Produces speech by adjusting tension of the vocal ligaments and vocal cords, resulting in changes in pitch |
| Innervation | Recurrent laryngeal nerve, a branch of the vagus nerve |
| Arterial Supply | Laryngeal branches of the superior thyroid artery and inferior thyroid artery |
| Venous Drainage | Superior and inferior laryngeal veins, tributaries of the internal jugular vein |
| Associated Muscles | Thyroarytenoid, vocal ligament, cricothyroid, lateral and posterior cricoarytenoid, interarytenoid |
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What You'll Learn

The vocalis muscle is a paired intrinsic laryngeal muscle
The intrinsic laryngeal muscles act on the individual components of the larynx, controlling 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 vocalis muscle makes small adjustments to the tension of the vocal ligaments, lengthening or shortening the vocal folds and thereby changing the pitch of the voice. The contraction of the vocalis muscle can exhibit tension in the anterior part of the vocal ligament, with simultaneous relaxation of the posterior part of the vocal cords, resulting in the production of a high-pitched voice.
The vocalis muscle is innervated by the recurrent laryngeal nerve, a branch of the vagus nerve. It receives arterial supply from the laryngeal branches of the superior thyroid artery and the inferior thyroid artery, a branch of the thyrocervical trunk. Venous blood from the vocalis muscle is drained by the superior and inferior laryngeal veins, which are tributaries of the internal jugular vein.
There is debate among anatomists as to whether the vocalis muscle is a distinct muscle or part of the thyroarytenoid muscle due to their close relation. Some sources describe the vocalis muscle as the upper portion or the internal part of the thyroarytenoid muscle. The thyroarytenoid muscle is the most dense portion of the vocal fold and is involved in producing speech.
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It runs parallel to the vocal ligament
The vocalis muscle is a small, strand-like muscle that is intrinsic to the larynx. It is involved in producing speech and sound. The vocalis muscle originates at the lateral surface of the vocal process of arytenoid cartilage. It runs anteromedially across the laryngeal inlet and attaches to the anterior part of the vocal ligament near the thyroid cartilage.
The vocalis muscle runs parallel to the vocal ligament. It is debated whether the vocalis muscle is a distinct muscle or part of the thyroarytenoid muscle, as they are closely related and the vocalis muscle may be composed of fibres of the thyroarytenoid. The thyroarytenoid muscle is a broad, thin muscle that forms the body of the vocal fold and supports the wall of the ventricle and its appendix. It arises from the thyroid cartilage and inserts into the arytenoid cartilage. The vocalis muscle is the upper portion of the thyroarytenoid muscle.
The vocalis muscle, together with the vocal ligament and the thyroarytenoid muscle, forms the deepest structure of the mucous membrane-covered vocal folds. The vocal folds form the anterolateral edges of the rima glottidis, which leads into the larynx. The space between the right and left vocal folds is called the rima glottidis, which is bound by the vocal cords. The vocalis muscle selectively controls the tension of the vocal ligaments and, by extension, the vocal folds.
The vocalis muscle can lengthen or shorten the vocal folds. Lengthening the vocal folds also 'thins' them, while shortening the vocal folds 'thickens' them. The general action of the vocalis muscle is to shorten and thicken the vocal folds, thereby changing the tonal quality of the voice. This contributes to changes in pitch during animated speech or singing.
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It originates at the lateral surface of the vocal process of arytenoid cartilage
The vocalis muscle is a small, strand-like muscle that is a component of the vocal cords or vocal folds. It is one of the intrinsic laryngeal muscles, which are responsible for controlling sound production by adjusting the vocal cords' tension, length, and position. The vocalis muscle originates at the lateral surface of the vocal process of the arytenoid cartilage. The arytenoid cartilages contain medial vocal processes from which the vocal ligaments extend anteriorly to the thyroid cartilage.
The vocalis muscle runs anteromedially across the laryngeal inlet and attaches to the anterior part of the ipsilateral vocal ligament near the thyroid cartilage. This muscle, along with the vocal ligament and the thyroarytenoid muscle, forms the deepest structure of the mucous membrane-covered vocal folds. The thyroarytenoid muscle is a broad, thin muscle that forms the body of the vocal fold and supports the wall of the ventricle and its appendix. It arises in front of the lower half of the angle of the thyroid cartilage and from the middle cricothyroid ligament.
The vocalis muscle is involved in producing speech and making small adjustments to the tension of the vocal ligaments. It selectively relaxes and tenses the anterior and posterior parts of the vocal folds, contributing to changes in pitch during animated speech or singing. The contraction of the vocalis muscle can exhibit tension in the anterior part, with simultaneous relaxation in the posterior part of the vocal cords, resulting in the production of a high-pitched voice.
The vocalis muscle is innervated by the recurrent laryngeal nerve, a branch of the vagus nerve. It receives its arterial supply from the laryngeal branches of the superior thyroid artery, the first branch of the external carotid artery, and the inferior thyroid artery, a branch of the thyrocervical trunk. The venous blood from the vocalis muscle is drained by the superior and inferior laryngeal veins, which are tributaries of the internal jugular vein.
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It is involved in producing speech
The vocalis muscle is a small, strand-like muscle that is the upper portion of the thyroarytenoid muscle. It is a component of the vocal cords or vocal folds, which are the vibratory system of the voice mechanism. The vocalis muscle is involved in producing speech by adjusting the tension of the vocal ligaments, thereby changing the pitch and volume of the voice.
The vocalis muscle originates at the lateral surface of the vocal process of arytenoid cartilage and runs anteromedially across the laryngeal inlet. It attaches to the anterior part of the vocal ligament, which is composed of the thyroarytenoid muscle. This muscle helps to close the glottis and regulate the tension of the vocal folds during speech and singing.
The vocalis muscle, along with the vocal ligament and the thyroarytenoid muscle, forms the deepest structure of the mucous membrane-covered vocal folds. The space between the right and left vocal folds is called the rima glottidis, which leads into the larynx. Thus, the rima glottidis is bounded by the vocal cords laterally, the thyroid cartilage anteriorly, and the interarytenoid space posteriorly.
The vocalis muscle receives its nerve supply from the recurrent laryngeal nerve, a branch of the vagus nerve. It also receives a communicating branch from the external laryngeal nerve, although the role of this nerve supply is not well understood. The muscle receives its arterial supply from the laryngeal branches of the superior thyroid artery and the inferior thyroid artery.
The ability to produce voice starts with airflow from the lungs, coordinated by the diaphragm and abdominal and chest muscles. The vocalis muscle makes small adjustments to the tension of the vocal ligaments, similar to a rubber band. Lengthening of the vocal folds also 'thins' them, while shortening the vocal folds 'thickens' them. Thus, the general action of the vocalis muscle is to shorten and thicken the vocal folds, resulting in a high-pitched voice and changing the tonal quality of the voice.
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It is innervated by the recurrent laryngeal nerve
The vocalis muscle is a small, strand-like muscle that sits parallel to the vocal ligament. It is involved in producing speech and sound. The vocalis muscle originates at the lateral surface of the vocal process of arytenoid cartilage and attaches to the anterior part of the vocal ligament near the thyroid cartilage.
The vocalis muscle is innervated by the recurrent laryngeal nerve, a branch of the vagus nerve. The recurrent laryngeal nerve is the nerve of the sixth pharyngeal arch. It was first documented by the physician Galen, who noted that pigs with the nerve severed were unable to squeal. The recurrent laryngeal nerve runs in the opposite direction to the vagus nerve, exiting the skull at the jugular foramen and travelling through the neck alongside the carotid arteries.
The recurrent laryngeal nerve controls all intrinsic muscles of the larynx, except for the cricothyroid muscle. It supplies muscles on the same side of the body and carries sensory information from the mucous membranes of the larynx below the lower surface of the vocal fold. The nerve also carries sensory, secretory, and motor fibres to the cervical segments of the oesophagus and trachea.
The vocalis muscle, along with the thyroarytenoid muscle, receives its arterial supply from the laryngeal branches of the superior thyroid artery, the first branch of the external carotid artery, and the inferior thyroid artery, a branch of the thyrocervical trunk. The vocalis muscle makes small adjustments to the tension of the vocal ligaments, shortening and thickening them, and thereby changing the tonal quality of the voice.
The recurrent laryngeal nerve is at risk for injury during neck surgery, particularly thyroid and parathyroid surgery, and injury to the nerve can result in hoarseness or loss of voice.
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Frequently asked questions
The vocalis muscle is a paired intrinsic laryngeal muscle that sits parallel to the vocal ligament. It originates at the lateral surface of the vocal process of arytenoid cartilage and attaches to the anterior part of the vocal ligament near the thyroid cartilage.
The vocalis muscle, along with the vocal ligament and the thyroarytenoid muscle, forms the deepest structure of the mucous membrane-covered vocal folds. It makes small adjustments to the tension of the vocal ligaments, thereby changing the tonal quality of the voice.
The vocalis muscle is innervated by the recurrent laryngeal nerve, a branch of the vagus nerve. It receives its arterial supply from the superior and inferior thyroid arteries.
The vocalis muscle is involved in producing speech by modifying the elasticity and tension of the vocal folds. It helps to shorten and thicken the vocal folds, resulting in changes in pitch during animated speech or singing.






























