Athena Vale
The tongue is a muscular hydrostat, an organ composed entirely of muscle that works independently of the skeleton. It is made up of eight different muscles that combine to form a flexible matrix. These muscles can be divided into two groups: the intrinsic and extrinsic muscles. The intrinsic muscles are involved primarily in changing the shape of the tongue, which is essential for speaking, eating and swallowing. The genioglossus muscle is the largest intrinsic tongue muscle and is responsible for protruding ('sticking out') the tongue.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Genioglossus |
| Muscle Type | Intrinsic |
| Origin | Mandibular Symphysis |
| Insertion | Body of the hyoid bone and the entire length of the tongue |
| Function | Protrusion ('sticking the tongue out'), depression, and retraction of the tongue |
| Innervation | Hypoglossal nerve (CN XII) |
| Blood Supply | Sublingual branch of the lingual artery, a branch of the external carotid artery |
| Synonymous Names | Canine genioglossus |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
- The genioglossus muscle is the largest intrinsic tongue muscle
- The genioglossus muscle is innervated by the hypoglossal nerve
- The tongue is made up of 8 different muscles
- The tongue is composed of 2 main muscle groups
- The styloglossus muscle originates at the distal lateral aspect of the stylohyoid bone
The genioglossus muscle is the largest intrinsic tongue muscle
The genioglossus muscle is the largest intrinsic muscle of the tongue. It originates from the medial surface of the mandible, just caudal to the symphysis, and its muscle fibres radiate rostrally toward the tip of the tongue. The genioglossus muscle is innervated by the hypoglossal nerve, as are all muscles of the tongue except for the palatoglossus.
The name 'genioglossus' comes from the Greek words "geneion" meaning "chin" and "glossa" meaning "tongue". The genioglossus muscle 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 is responsible for protrusion, or 'sticking the tongue out', and depression of the tongue. It also acts with the hyoglossus muscle to depress and retract the tongue. The hyoglossus is a flat, wide muscle that lies in the lateral portion of the root of the tongue. It originates from the lateral aspect of the basihyoid bone and from portions of the stylohyoid and thyrohyoid bones.
The intrinsic muscles of the tongue are involved primarily in changing the shape of the tongue, which is essential for speaking. They also facilitate eating and swallowing. The tongue moves food around the mouth with the help of the buccinator muscle, mixes it with saliva, and helps to separate undesired particles.
Muscle Milk and Dairy: What's the Real Scoop?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The genioglossus muscle is innervated by the hypoglossal nerve
The genioglossus muscle 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 is responsible for protrusion (commonly known as "sticking the tongue out") and depression of the tongue.
The hypoglossal nerve plays a crucial role in tongue function and movement. When the genioglossus muscle contracts, it protrudes the tongue anteriorly out of the mouth and deviates it towards the opposite side. This movement is facilitated by the innervation provided by the hypoglossal nerve. Additionally, the left and right genioglossus muscles work together to protrude the tongue directly forward and depress the centre of the tongue at its back.
The genioglossus muscle is often used clinically as a proxy to assess the function of the hypoglossal nerve. By asking a patient to stick out their tongue, peripheral damage to the hypoglossal nerve can be evaluated. If the tongue deviates to one side, it suggests an injury to the hypoglossal nerve on that side. However, if the tongue protrudes directly forward without deviation, it indicates that the hypoglossal nerves are likely not injured.
In summary, the genioglossus muscle, responsible for protrusion and depression of the tongue, receives its innervation from the hypoglossal nerve. This nerve enables the muscle to perform its functions and contributes to the overall movement and shape of the tongue.
Fasting's Impact: Muscle Loss and Gain Explained
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The tongue is made up of 8 different muscles
The tongue is a muscular organ, with a complex arrangement of intrinsic and extrinsic muscles. It is made up of eight different muscles, which enable it to perform a variety of functions, including taste, mastication (chewing), deglutition (swallowing), articulation (speech), and oral cleansing.
The four intrinsic muscles of the tongue are the superior longitudinal, inferior longitudinal, transverse, and vertical muscles. These muscles are responsible for fine motor control, enabling changes in the tongue's shape, such as elongation, shortening, flattening, and curling. They originate and attach to other structures within the tongue. These muscles affect the tongue's shape and size, which is essential for speaking. For example, tongue rolling is made possible by the superior longitudinal muscle, which runs along the upper surface of the tongue and functions to shorten and curl the tongue upward, and the inferior longitudinal muscle, which lines the sides of the tongue and functions to shorten and curl it downward.
The four extrinsic muscles of the tongue are the genioglossus, hyoglossus, styloglossus, and palatoglossus muscles. These muscles originate from structures outside the tongue and insert onto it. The genioglossus muscle is a large, thick muscle that contributes significantly to the tongue's shape. It arises from the mandibular symphysis and inserts onto the body of the hyoid bone and the entire length of the tongue. This muscle is responsible for protrusion, or 'sticking the tongue out', and depression of the tongue. 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 a thin, paired muscle located on either side of the oropharynx, and it functions to retract and elevate the tongue. The palatoglossus muscle is associated with the soft palate and is responsible for depressing the soft palate, moving the palatoglossal fold towards the midline, and elevating the back of the tongue during swallowing.
The tongue's blood supply primarily comes from the lingual artery, a branch of the external carotid artery. The lingual veins drain into the internal jugular vein. The tongue is richly supplied with nerves and blood vessels, with five cranial nerves contributing to its complex innervation.
Trigeminal Nerve: The Masseter Muscle's Power Source
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The tongue is composed of 2 main muscle groups
The tongue is a mass of muscles covered by a mucous membrane. It has two groups of glossal muscles: the intrinsic muscles and the extrinsic muscles. The intrinsic muscles originate and attach to other structures within the tongue, while the extrinsic muscles originate from structures outside the tongue and insert onto it.
The four intrinsic muscles are the superior longitudinal, inferior longitudinal, transverse, and vertical muscles. They are responsible for altering the shape of the tongue by lengthening, shortening, flattening, curling, and uncurling it. This provides shape and helps facilitate speech, swallowing, and eating. The superior longitudinal muscle runs along the upper surface of the tongue under the mucous membrane and functions to shorten and curl the tongue upward. 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.
The four extrinsic muscles are the genioglossus, the hyoglossus (often including the chondroglossus) , the
Understanding Muscle Atrophy: When Does It Begin?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The styloglossus muscle originates at the distal lateral aspect of the stylohyoid bone
The styloglossus muscle is one of the intrinsic muscles of the tongue, along with the genioglossus and hyoglossus. The styloglossus muscle originates at the distal lateral aspect of the stylohyoid bone and travels the length of the tongue along its lateral aspect. The stylohyoid bone is a slender, cylindrical bone with a needle-like structure that projects from the inferior part of the petrous temporal bone. The stylohyoid bone is involved in facilitating the movement of the tongue, along with the pharynx, larynx, hyoid bone, and mandible.
The styloglossus muscle is a thin, paired muscle located on either side of the oropharynx. It is one of three muscles that attach to the styloid process, along with the stylopharyngeus and stylohyoid muscles. The styloid process is a slender, needle-like projection that originates from the styloid process of the temporal bone and inserts into the hyoid bone. The stylohyoid muscle is innervated by a branch of the facial nerve and acts to draw the hyoid bone upwards and backwards.
The styloglossus muscle descends anteriorly from the styloid process and divides into longitudinal and oblique parts. The longitudinal part enters the tongue from the side and blends with the inferior longitudinal lingual muscle. The oblique part overlaps and decussates with the hyoglossus muscle, a flat, wide muscle that lies in the lateral portion of the root of the tongue. The styloglossus muscle receives innervation from the hypoglossal nerve (CN XII) and arterial supply from the sublingual artery.
The function of the styloglossus muscle is to elevate and retract the tongue. Contraction of the styloglossus muscle results in the retraction of the tongue, while contraction of the genioglossus muscle, another intrinsic muscle, causes protrusion or sticking out of the tongue. The genioglossus muscle is a large, thick muscle that contributes significantly to the shape of the tongue and is involved in tongue protrusion, depression, and retraction. It arises from the mandibular symphysis and inserts onto the body of the hyoid bone and the entire length of the tongue.
Muscle Contusion: Which Doctor Should You See?
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
The genioglossus muscle is responsible for protruding the tongue.
The genioglossus is a large, thick muscle that contributes significantly to the shape of the tongue.
The genioglossus is an intrinsic tongue muscle that originates from the medial surface of the mandible, just caudal to the symphysis.
The genioglossus muscle fibres radiate rostrally toward the tip of the tongue, dorsally, and distally toward the root of the tongue. Contraction of this muscle protracts the tongue and pulls the basihyoid bone rostrally.
The genioglossus muscle also acts with the hyoglossus muscle to depress and retract the tongue. This action improves airflow, function, and pharyngeal stability.
