Hyoglossus muscle
Musculus hyoglossus
- Related terms: Hyoglossus
Definition
Hyoglossus muscle | |
Origin | Hyoid bone (body, greater cornu) |
Insertion | Side of tongue |
Blood supply | Lingual and facial arteries |
Innervation | Hypoglossal nerve (CN XII) |
Action | Retraction and depression of tongue |
The hyoglossus is one of the extrinsic muscles of the tongue, primarily responsible for depressing and retracting the tongue.
Anatomical details
1. Origin
Greater horn and adjacent body of the hyoid bone.
2. Insertion
Side of the tongue, between the styloglossus (laterally) and genioglossus (medially).
Blood supply
From branches of external carotid artery:
Lingual artery (sublingual branch)
Facial artery (submental branch)
Innervation
Hypoglossal nerve (cranial nerve XII)
Relations
1. Superficial to (lateral to hyoglossus)
Hypoglossal nerve (CN XII), Lingual nerve
Deep lingual vein
Submandibular gland and duct (Wharton’s duct)
Submandibular ganglion (attached to lingual nerve)
2. Deep to (medial to hyoglossus)
Glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX)
Lingual artery, Dorsal lingual vein
Middle constrictor of the pharynx
Actions
Acts antagonistically to genioglossus, which protrudes the tongue.
During swallowing, hyoglossus helps depress the sides of the tongue to guide the bolus posteriorly.
References
Gray, H. (2016) Gray’s Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. 41st edn. Edited by S. Standring. New York: Elsevier. Chapter 31: Oral Cavity, pp. 511-512.
Dotiwala AK, Samra NS. Anatomy, Head and Neck, Tongue. [Updated 2023 Aug 21]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507782/
