Muscles of head
Musculi capitis
Definition
The muscles of head form part of the cranial part of muscular system. These include:
Muscles | Location | Innervation | Function |
Muscles of facial expression | Subcutaneous layer of the face and scalp | Facial nerve | Move the skin rather than joints; responsible for facial expressions such as smiling, frowning, and blinking. |
Muscles of mastication | Around the mandible and temporal region | Mandibular division of trigeminal nerve | Move the mandible during chewing and speech. |
Extraocular muscles | Orbit, attached to the eyeball. | Oculomotor, trochlear, and abducent nerves | Movements of the eyeball |
Muscles of the tongue | Mainly by the hypoglossal nerve; palatoglossus by the vagus nerve | Alter shape of tongue. Move the tongue within the oral cavity. | |
Muscles of the pharynx and soft palate | Pharyngeal plexus (branches of the vagus and glossopharyngeal nerves). | Swallowing and speech articulation | |
Muscles of the larynx | Branches of vagus nerve via the recurrent laryngeal and superior laryngeal nerves. | Control tension and position of the vocal cords. Phonation and airway protection |
References
Gray, H. (2016) Gray’s anatomy the anatomical basis of clinical practice. 41st edition. Edited by S. Standring. New York: Elsevier.
SEER Training Modules, Module Name. U. S. National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute. Day Month Year (of access) <https://training.seer.cancer.gov/>.
Fakoya AO, Hohman MH, Westbrook KE, et al. Anatomy, Head and Neck: Facial Muscles. [Updated 2024 Apr 20]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493209/
