Tongue
Updates to Article Attributes
The tongue is a complex, principally muscular, structure that extends from the oral cavity to the oropharynx. It has important roles in speech, swallowing and taste.
Gross anatomy
The tongue has a tip, ventral surface, dorsal surface and root. The tongue is made of a midline lingual septum and hypoglossus membrane, and multiple muscles including 1,2,4. The muscles are divided into intrinsic and extrinsic muscle groups:
-
intrinsic muscles of the tongue
vertical muscle ofwhich do not have attachments outside the tongue
and who's action is to alter the shape of the tongue:
- extrinsic muscles of the tongue (mnemonic) which have attachments outside the tongue and therefore their actions alter the position of the tongue:
The tongue is divided into two parts at the level of the circumvallate papillae 1,3:
- mobile tongue: anterior two-thirds; part of the oral cavity
- includes root of tongue, which is considered separately due to its importance in oropharyngeal cancer
- base of tongue: posterior one-third; fixed; part of the oropharynx
The tongue is covered by a mucosa, which is roughened on the dorsal surface covered by filiform, fungiform and circumvallate papillae. Posteriorly, the base of the tongue contains the lingual tonsils 4.
Blood supply
- arterial supply: lingual artery (principally) but also branches from the facial and ascending pharyngeal arteries 4
- venous drainage: follows arterial supply draining to the lingul, facial and/or internal jugular veins 4
Nerve supply
- hypoglossal nerve (CN XII): intrinsic and extrinsic muscles (except palatoglossus muscle, which is supplied by the pharyngeal plexus)
-
lingual nerve: sensory supply to the anterior two-thirds
- special sensory (taste) fibres diverge from the lingual nerve and travel with the facial nerve (CN VII) via chorda tympani
- glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX): sensory supply to posterior two-thirds 2
Related pathology
-<p>The <strong>tongue</strong> is a complex, principally muscular, structure that extends from the <a href="/articles/oral-cavity-1">oral cavity</a> to the <a href="/articles/oropharynx">oropharynx</a>. It has important roles in speech, swallowing and taste. </p><h4>Gross anatomy</h4><p>The tongue has a tip, ventral surface, dorsal surface and root. The tongue is made of a midline lingual septum and hypoglossus membrane, and multiple <a href="/articles/muscles-of-the-tongue">muscles</a> including <sup>1,2,4</sup>:</p><ul>- +<p>The <strong>tongue</strong> is a complex, principally muscular, structure that extends from the <a href="/articles/oral-cavity-1">oral cavity</a> to the <a href="/articles/oropharynx">oropharynx</a>. It has important roles in speech, swallowing and taste. </p><h4>Gross anatomy</h4><p>The tongue has a tip, ventral surface, dorsal surface and root. The tongue is made of a midline lingual septum and hypoglossus membrane, and multiple <a href="/articles/muscles-of-the-tongue">muscles</a> <sup>1,2,4</sup>. The muscles are divided into intrinsic and extrinsic muscle groups:</p><ul>
-<a href="/articles/intrinsic-muscles-of-the-tongue">intrinsic muscles of the tongue</a><ul>-<li><a href="/articles/vertical-muscle-of-the-tongue">vertical muscle of the tongue</a></li>-<li><a href="/articles/transverse-muscle-of-the-tongue">transverse muscle of the tongue</a></li>-<li><a href="/articles/inferior-longitudinal-muscle-of-the-tongue">inferior longitudinal muscle of the tongue</a></li>- +<a href="/articles/intrinsic-muscles-of-the-tongue">intrinsic muscles of the tongue</a> which do not have attachments outside the tongue and who's action is to alter the <em>shape</em> of the tongue:<ul>
- +<li><a href="/articles/inferior-longitudinal-muscle-of-the-tongue">inferior longitudinal muscle of the tongue</a></li>
- +<li><a href="/articles/transverse-muscle-of-the-tongue">transverse muscle of the tongue</a></li>
- +<li><a href="/articles/vertical-muscle-of-the-tongue">vertical muscle of the tongue</a></li>
-<a href="/articles/extrinsic-muscles-of-the-tongue">extrinsic muscles of the tongue</a> (<a href="/articles/extrinsic-muscles-of-the-tongue-mnemonic">mnemonic</a>)<ul>- +<a href="/articles/extrinsic-muscles-of-the-tongue">extrinsic muscles of the tongue</a> (<a href="/articles/extrinsic-muscles-of-the-tongue-mnemonic">mnemonic</a>) which have attachments outside the tongue and therefore their actions alter the <em>position </em>of the tongue:<ul>