Inferior Longitudinal Lingual Muscle
Musculus longitudinalis inferior linguae
Read moreQuick Facts
Origin: Ventral aspect of base of tongue.
Insertion: Tip of tongue and lingual septum.
Action: Shortens tongue; depresses tip of tongue.
Innervation: Hypoglossal nerve (CN XII).
Arterial Supply: Lingual artery.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The inferior longitudinal lingual muscle sits deep to the mucosa of the ventral (inferior) surface of the tongue. It inserts at the base of the tongue.
Insertion
The inferior longitudinal lingual muscle extends anteriorly to the tip of the tongue and medially to the lingual septum.
Key Features & Anatomical Relations
The inferior longitudinal lingual muscle is one of the intrinsic muscles of the tongue.
Actions
Overall, the intrinsic muscles of the tongue facilitate the change in the shape of the tongue, which is necessary for phonation and to facilitate deglutition. The inferior longitudinal lingual muscle shortens the tongue. It also depresses the tip of the tongue, making the dorsum of the tongue convex (Standring, 2016).
References
Standring, S. (2016) Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. Gray's Anatomy Series 41st edn.: Elsevier Limited.
