Table of muscles of the human body: Head

This article lists the muscles found in the human head.

Legend

quadriceps femoris

rectus femoris

vastus lateralis

vastus intermedius

vastus medialis

Example of formatting used in tables to denote muscles and muscle groups.

The following tables of muscles have seven columns:

• Muscle, simply the name of the muscle
• Origin, the fixed attachment point of one end of the muscle that does not move during a muscle contraction (usually a bone)
• Insertion, the opposite attachment point, which does move when the muscle contracts (usually a bone)
• Artery, the main vessel that feeds blood to the muscle
• Innervation, the main nerve that supplies motor control to the muscle
• Action, the visible result of the muscle contraction/relaxation (see biomechanics and human kinetics for more)
• Antagonist, a muscle with the equal but opposite action

Often, a muscle is divided into other muscles; for example, the quadriceps femoris muscle is further subdivided into the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius and vastus medialis. In these cases, the name of the muscle group is italicized and the component muscles are indented. An example appears to the right.

For more information on many of the terms used within these tables, see anatomical terms of location, anatomical terms of motion, medical terminology, list of human anatomical features and outline of human anatomy.

Scalp and eyelid

Muscle	Origin	Insertion	Artery	Nerve	Action	Antagonist
occipitofrontalis	2 occipital bellies and 2 frontal bellies.	galea aponeurotica		facial nerve	raises the eyebrows
occipitalis	superior nuchal line of the occipital bone mastoid part of the temporal bone	galea aponeurotica	occipital artery	posterior auricular nerve (facial nerve)
frontalis	galea aponeurotica	mastoid process	ophthalmic artery	facial nerve	wrinkles eyebrow
orbicularis oculi	frontal bone; medial palpebral ligament; lacrimal bone	lateral palpebral raphe	ophthalmic, zygomatico-orbital, angular	zygomatic branch of facial	closes eyelids	levator palpebrae superioris
corrugator supercilii	superciliary arches	forehead skin, near eyebrow		facial nerve	wrinkles forehead
depressor supercilii	medial orbital rim	medial aspect of bony orbit		facial nerve	depression of eyebrow

Extraocular muscles

Muscle	Origin	Insertion	Artery	Nerve	Action	Antagonist
levator palpebrae superioris	sphenoid bone	tarsal plate, upper eyelid	ophthalmic artery	oculomotor nerve	retracts//elevates eyelid	orbicularis oculi muscle
superior tarsal	underside of levator palpebrae superioris	superior tarsal plate of the eyelid		sympathetic nervous system	raise the upper eyelid
Rectus muscles
superior	annulus of Zinn at the orbital apex	7.5 mm superior to the corneal limbus		oculomotor nerve	elevates, adducts, and rotates medially the eye
inferior		6.5 mm inferior to the corneal limbus		inferior branch of oculomotor nerve	depression and adduction
medial		5.5 mm medial to the corneal limbus		inferior division of the oculomotor nerve	adducts the eyeball
lateral		7 mm temporal to the corneal limbus		abducens nerve	abducts the eyeball
Oblique muscles
superior	annulus of Zinn at the orbital apex, medial to optic canal	outer posterior quadrant of the eyeball	lateral muscular branch of the ophthalmic artery	trochlear nerve	primary: intorsion. secondary:abduct (laterally rotate) and depress the eyeball
inferior	orbital surface of the maxilla, lateral to the lacrimal groove	laterally onto the eyeball, deep to the lateral rectus, by a short flat tendon		oculomotor nerve	extorsion, elevation, abduction

Intraocular

Muscle	Origin	Insertion	Artery	Nerve	Action	Antagonist
ciliary			long posterior ciliary arteries	oculomotor nerve (parasympathetics)	accommodation
iris dilator				superior cervical ganglion (sympathetics)	pupil dilation	iris sphincter muscle
iris sphincter				short ciliary nerves	constricts pupil	iris dilator muscle

Ear

Muscle	Origin	Insertion	Artery	Nerve	Action	Antagonist
auriculares	galeal aponeurosis	front of the helix, cranial surface of the pinna		facial nerve	(Wiggle ears)
temporoparietalis	auriculares muscles	galea aponeurotica
stapedius		neck of stapes		facial nerve	control the amplitude of sound waves to the inner ear
tensor tympani	Eustachian tube	handle of the malleus	superior tympanic artery	medial pterygoid nerve from mandibular nerve	tensing the tympanic membrane

Nose

Muscle	Origin	Insertion	Artery	Nerve	Action	Antagonist
procerus	from fascia over the lower of the nasal bone	skin of the lower part of the forehead between the eyebrows		buccal branch of the facial nerve	Draws down the medial angle of the eyebrow, giving expressions of frowning
nasalis	maxilla	nasal bone			Compresses bridge, depresses tip of nose, elevates corners of nostrils
dilatator naris	margin of the nasal notch of the maxilla, greater andlesser alar cartilages	skin near the margin of the nostril			dilation of nostrils
depressor septi nasi	incisive fossa of the maxilla	nasal septum and back part of the alar part of nasalis muscle			depression of nasal septum
levator labii superioris alaeque nasi	maxilla	nostril and upper lip	superior labial artery		dilates the nostril; elevates the upper lip and wing of the nose

Mouth

Muscle	Origin	Insertion	Artery	Nerve	Action	Antagonist
levator anguli oris (caninus)	maxilla	modiolus of mouth	facial artery	facial nerve	smile (elevates angle of mouth)
depressor anguli oris (triangularis)	tubercle of mandible	modiolus of mouth	facial artery	mandibular branch of facial nerve	depresses angle of mouth
levator labii superioris	medial infra-orbital margin	skin and muscle of the upper lip (labii superioris)	superior labial artery	buccal branch of the facial nerve	Elevates the upper lip
depressor labii inferioris	oblique line of the mandible, between the symphysis and the mental foramen	integument of the lower lip, orbicularis oris fibers, its fellow of the opposite side	inferior labial artery	facial nerve	Depresses the lower lip
mentalis	anterior mandible	chin		mandibular branch of facial nerve	elevates and wrinkles skin of chin, protrudes lower lip
buccinator	alveolar processes of the maxillary bone and mandible, pterygomandibular raphe	in the fibres of the orbicularis oris	buccal artery	buccal branch of the facial nerve	compress the cheeks against the teeth (blowing), mastication.
orbicularis oris	maxilla and mandible	skin around the lips			pucker the lips
risorius	parotid fascia	modiolus	facial artery		draw back angle of mouth
Zygomatic muscles
major	anterior of zygomatic bone	modiolus of mouth	facial artery	buccal branch of the facial nerve	draws angle of mouth upward and laterally
minor	zygomatic bone	skin of the upper lip		facial nerve, buccal branch	elevates upper lip

Mastication

Muscle	Origin	Insertion	Artery	Nerve	Action	Antagonist
masseter	zygomatic arch and maxilla	coronoid process and ramus of mandible	masseteric artery	masseteric nerve (V3)	elevation (as in closing of the mouth) and retraction of mandible	platysma muscle
temporalis	temporal lines on the parietal bone of the skull	coronoid process of the mandible	deep temporal	third branch (mandibular nerve) of the trigeminal nerve	elevation and retraction of mandible
Pterygoid muscles
lateral	great wing of sphenoid and pterygoid plate	condyle of mandible	pterygoid branches of maxillary artery	external pterygoid nerve from the mandibular nerve	depresses mandible
medial	deep head: medial side of lateral pterygoid plate behind the upper teeth superficial head: pyramidal process of palatine bone and maxillary tuberosity	medial angle of the mandible		mandibular nerve via nerve to medial pterygoid	elevates mandible, closes jaw, helps lateral pterygoids in moving the jaw from side to side

Tongue

Extrinsic

Muscle	Origin	Insertion	Artery	Nerve	Action	Antagonist
genioglossus	superior part of mental spine of mandible (symphysis menti)	dorsum of tongue and body of hyoid	lingual artery	hypoglossal nerve	complex - inferior fibers protrude the tongue, middle fibers depress the tongue, and its superior fibers draw the tip back and down
hyoglossus	hyoid	side of the tongue
chondroglossus	lesser cornu and body of the hyoid bone	intrinsic muscular fibers of the tongue
styloglossus	styloid process of temporal bone	tongue

Intrinsic

Muscle	Origin	Insertion	Artery	Nerve	Action	Antagonist
superior longitudinal	close to the epiglottis, from the median fibrous septum	edges of the tongue		hypoglossal nerve
inferior longitudinal	root of the tongue	apex of the tongue
transversus	median fibrous septum	sides of the tongue

Soft palate

Muscle	Origin	Insertion	Artery	Nerve	Action	Antagonist
levator veli palatini	temporal bone, Eustachian tube	palatine aponeurosis	facial artery	vagus nerve	Aids in swallowing by elevating the soft palate
tensor veli palatini	medial pterygoid plate of the sphenoid bone			medial pterygoid of mandibular nerve	Aids in swallowing by controlling the tension of the soft palate
musculus uvulae	hard palate			pharyngeal plexus	Moves and changes shape of the uvula
palatoglossus	palatine aponeurosis	tongue		vagus nerve and cranial accessory nerve	Aids in respiration by raising the back part of the tongue
palatopharyngeus	palatine aponeurosis and hard palate	upper border of thyroid cartilage (blends with constrictor fibers)	facial artery	vagus nerve and cranial accessory nerve	Aids in respiration by pulling the pharynx and larynx

Pharynx

Muscle	Origin	Insertion	Artery	Nerve	Action	Antagonist
stylopharyngeus	temporal styloid process	thyroid cartilage (pharynx)	pharyngeal branches of ascending pharyngeal artery	glossopharyngeal nerve	elevate the larynx, elevate the pharynx, swallowing
salpingopharyngeus	cartilage of the Eustachian tube	posterior fasciculus of the pharyngopalatinus muscle		vagus nerve and cranial accessory nerve	raise the nasopharynx
Pharyngeal muscles
inferior	cricoid and thyroid cartilage	pharyngeal raphe	pharyngeal branches of ascending pharyngeal artery	external laryngeal branch of the vagus	Swallowing
middle	hyoid bone	pharyngeal raphe		vagus nerve	Swallowing
superior	medial pterygoid plate, pterygomandibular raphé, alveolar process	pharyngeal raphe, pharyngeal tubercle		vagus nerve	Swallowing

Larynx

Muscle	Origin	Insertion	Artery	Nerve	Action	Antagonist
cricothyroid	anterior and lateral cricoid cartilage	inferior cornu and lamina of the thyroid cartilage		external laryngeal branch of the vagus	tension and elongation of the vocal folds (has minor adductory effect)
arytenoid	arytenoid cartilage on one side	arytenoid cartilage on opposite side		recurrent laryngeal branch of the vagus	approximate the arytenoid cartilages (close rima glottidis)
thyroarytenoid	inner surface of the thyroid cartilage (anterior aspect)	anterior surface of arytenoid cartilage		recurrent laryngeal branch of the vagus	thickens the vocal folds and decreases length; also helps helps to adduct the vocal folds during speech
Cricoarytenoid muscles
posterior	posterior part of the cricoid	muscular process of the arytenoid cartilage		recurrent laryngeal branch of the vagus	abducts and laterally rotates the cartilage, pulling the vocal ligaments away from the midline and forward and so opening the rima glottidis	lateral cricoarytenoid muscle
lateral	lateral part of the arch of the cricoid	muscular process of the arytenoid cartilage		recurrent laryngeal branch of the vagus	adduct and medially rotate the cartilage, pulling the vocal ligaments towards the midline and backwards and so closing off the rima glottidis

General references

• Gosling, J.A.; Harris, P.F.; Humpherson, J.R.; Whitmore, I.; Willan, P.L.T. (2008). Human Anatomy: Color Atlas and Textbook. phot. by A.L. Bentley (5th ed.). Philadephia: Mosby. ISBN 978-0-7234-3451-1. 
• http://www.meddean.luc.edu/lumen/MedEd/GrossAnatomy/dissector/muscles/muscles.html
• http://www.ptcentral.com/muscles/
• http://www.rad.washington.edu/atlas2/

External links

• Tutorial & Quizzes on Skeletal Muscular Anatomy

ru:Мышцы головы