Quick Facts
Origin: Dorsal aspect of tongue.
Insertion: Sides of anterior aspect of tongue.
Action: Flattens and widens the tongue.
Innervation: Hypoglossal nerve (CN XII).
Arterial Supply: Lingual artery.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The fibers of the verticalis linguae muscle arise from the dorsal aspect of the tongue.
Insertion
The fibers of the verticalis linguae muscle extend to the lateral margins of the ventral portions of the tongue.
Key Features & Anatomical Relations
The verticalis linguae 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 verticalis linguae muscle flattens and widens the tongue (Standring, 2016).
References
Standring, S. (2016) Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. Gray's Anatomy Series 41st edn.: Elsevier Limited.
