Logan Steele
The soft palate, also known as the velum, is a soft tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth in mammals. It is distinct from the hard palate in that it does not contain bone. The velum is elevated or depressed during speech, and it plays a role in closing off the nasal cavity to direct airflow out of the mouth for oral sounds. The muscle responsible for depressing the velum or elevating the posterior tongue is the palatopharyngeus.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Common Name | Soft Palate |
| Other Names | Palatal Velum, Muscular Palate |
| Description | Soft tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth |
| Composition | Five muscles: Tensor Veli Palatini, Levator Veli Palatini, Palatopharyngeus, Palatoglossus, Musculus Uvulae |
| Function | Involved in swallowing and breathing; protects the nasal cavity |
| Movement | Elevates, retracts, and expands laterally to "close off" the nasal cavity during oral sounds |
| Depressing Muscle | Palatopharyngeus |
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What You'll Learn
- The Palatopharyngeus muscle depresses the velum and elevates the pharynx/larynx
- The Levator Veli Palatini elevates the velum
- The Tensor Veli Palatini, Levator Veli Palatini, and Palatoglossus muscles play a role in velum positioning
- The muscle embodied in the uvula depresses the velum during speech
- The Palatoglossus and Palatopharyngeus muscles work to lower the velum
The Palatopharyngeus muscle depresses the velum and elevates the pharynx/larynx
The soft palate, or velum, is the soft tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth in mammals. The soft palate is moveable and made up of muscle fibres sheathed in mucous membrane. It is responsible for closing off the nasal passages during swallowing and speaking, and also for closing off the airway. The velum is elevated or depressed during most speech.
The Palatopharyngeus muscle is one of the muscles of the soft palate. It begins at the posterior hard palate and the palatine aponeurosis, inserting onto the thyroid cartilage. The Palatopharyngeus muscle is one of the muscles that depress the velum. It also elevates the pharynx superiorly during swallowing. This muscle, along with the stylopharyngeus and salpingopharyngeus muscles, form the inner longitudinal layer of the pharyngeal muscles.
The Palatopharyngeus muscle is also involved in velopharyngeal closure, which separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity and prevents nasal regurgitation. Other muscles involved in velopharyngeal closure include the levator veli palatini, tensor veli palatini, and palatoglossus muscles.
The pharynx is part of the digestive system posterior to the oronasal cavity and larynx. The pharyngeal muscles are organised into an outer circular layer and an inner longitudinal layer surrounding the lumen. The outer circular layer consists of the superior, middle, and inferior pharyngeal constrictor muscles, while the inner longitudinal layer comprises the palatopharyngeus, salpingopharyngeus, and stylopharyngeus muscles.
The Palatopharyngeus muscle also elevates the larynx. This is achieved by elevating the thyroid cartilage when contracted, which by extension raises the larynx.
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The Levator Veli Palatini elevates the velum
The levator veli palatini is a muscle of the soft palate and pharynx. It is one of the five paired muscles of the soft palate, which is also known as the velum or palatal velum.
The levator veli palatini muscle acts to elevate the soft palate during swallowing and vocalization. This action can be observed during an endoscopic examination of the upper airway when the gag reflex is stimulated. During swallowing, the levator veli palatini contracts, elevating the soft palate to prevent food from entering the nasopharynx.
The levator veli palatini muscle originates in the medial extremity of the inferior aspect of the petrous part of the temporal bone, where it arises by a small tendon. It travels along the lateral wall of the nasopharynx and terminates within the soft palate. The muscle is innervated by the vagus nerve (cranial nerve X) via the pharyngeal plexus.
The levator veli palatini plays a crucial role in velum positioning for velopharyngeal closure, working in conjunction with other muscles, including the tensor veli palatini, palatoglossus, and palatopharyngeus.
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The Tensor Veli Palatini, Levator Veli Palatini, and Palatoglossus muscles play a role in velum positioning
The Tensor Veli Palatini, Levator Veli Palatini, and Palatoglossus muscles all play a role in positioning the velum, also known as the soft palate. The soft palate is the soft tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth in mammals. It is distinct from the hard palate at the front of the mouth due to its lack of bone. The soft palate is movable and composed of muscle fibres sheathed in a mucous membrane. It is responsible for closing off the nasal passages during swallowing and closing off the airway.
The Tensor Veli Palatini is a slender, triangular muscle situated in the pterygoid fossa of the skull. It is involved in swallowing and tenses the soft palate. This muscle is the only muscle of the palate that is not innervated by the pharyngeal plexus. Instead, it is innervated by the mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve (V3). The tensor veli palatini opens the pharyngeal opening of the auditory tube during swallowing or yawning, equalising pressure between the middle ear and the nasopharynx. Bilateral contraction of the tensor veli palatini tenses the anterior third of the soft palate and depresses it, while unilateral contraction pulls the soft palate to one side.
The Levator Veli Palatini is a paired cylindrical muscle situated lateral to the choanae of the nasal cavity. It elevates the soft palate and pulls it slightly backward. This action, together with the tensor veli palatini, prevents food from entering the nasopharynx during swallowing. The levator veli palatini is divided into superior and inferior parts based on its origin points. The superior part originates from the inferior surface of the petrous part of the temporal bone.
The Palatoglossus muscle also plays a role in velum positioning, specifically in depressing the velum.
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The muscle embodied in the uvula depresses the velum during speech
The velum, or soft palate, is the soft tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth in mammals. It is distinct from the hard palate in that it does not contain bone. The velum plays an important role in speech and swallowing. During speech, the velum typically depresses to allow airflow through the nasal cavity for nasal sounds.
The muscle embodied in the uvula, also known as the musculus uvulae, is responsible for depressing the velum during speech. This muscle provides the necessary midline bulk to the velum and may also provide velar extension during speech. In addition to its role in speech, the musculus uvulae assists in swallowing by helping to close off the nasal passages.
The musculus uvulae is not the only muscle involved in velum positioning. The levator veli palatini elevates the velum, while the palatoglossus and palatopharyngeus muscles work in opposition to achieve a high degree of inter-individual variability. The tensor veli palatini is involved in swallowing and is innervated by the mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve (V3).
The velum and pharynx together make up the V-P mechanism, which functions like a valve. This mechanism opens to allow a coupling between the oral and nasal cavities and closes to partition them. The contraction of the velum occurs in a superior and posterior direction (up and back), and the lateral walls of the pharynx also assist in closure.
In summary, the muscle embodied in the uvula, the musculus uvulae, depresses the velum during speech. This muscle works in conjunction with other muscles of the velum and pharynx to facilitate speech and swallowing functions.
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The Palatoglossus and Palatopharyngeus muscles work to lower the velum
The soft palate, or velum, is the soft tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth in mammals. It is distinct from the hard palate in that it does not contain bone. The velum plays an important role in swallowing and breathing. During swallowing, it closes off the nasal passages and the airway.
The velum is movable, consisting of muscle fibres sheathed in mucous membrane. Several muscles are involved in its movement, including the palatoglossus and palatopharyngeus muscles, which work to lower the velum.
The palatoglossus muscle is one of the muscles of the soft palate. It plays a role in velum positioning for velopharyngeal closure, which separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity and prevents nasal regurgitation. The palatoglossus muscle depresses and tenses the soft palate while elevating the pharynx or larynx.
The palatopharyngeus muscle is also involved in velopharyngeal closure. In addition to the palatoglossus muscle, it works to lower the velum. The palatopharyngeus muscle pulls the larynx up during swallowing and assists in clearing the Eustachian tube.
The palatoglossus and palatopharyngeus muscles work together to depress the velum, allowing airflow through the nasal cavity for nasal sounds during speech. This movement of the velum is highly variable between individuals.
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Frequently asked questions
The palatopharyngeus, palatoglossus, and salpingopharyngeus muscles work together to depress the velum.
The velum, or soft palate, is responsible for closing off the nasal passages during swallowing and closing off the airway.
The velum is the soft tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth. It is also known as the soft palate or muscular palate.
