Palatoglossus muscle

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Palatoglossus muscle
Dissection of the muscles of the palate from behind.
Latin	musculus palatoglossus
Gray's	subject #243 1139
Origin:	palatine aponeurosis
Insertion:	tongue
Artery:
Nerve:	vagus nerve and cranial accessory nerve
Action:	raising the back part of the tongue
Dorlands/Elsevier	m_22/12550045

The palatoglossus (glossopalatinus) is a small fleshy fasciculus, narrower in the middle than at either end, forming, with the mucous membrane covering its surface, the glossopalatine arch.

It arises from the anterior surface of the soft palate, where it is continuous with the muscle of the opposite side, and passing downward, forward, and lateralward in front of the palatine tonsil, is inserted into the side of the tongue, some of its fibers spreading over the dorsum, and others passing deeply into the substance of the organ to intermingle with the Transversus linguæ.

[edit] Action

Elevates posterior tongue, closes the oropharyngeal isthmus, and aids initiation of swallowing.

[edit] Innervation

The palatoglossus is the only muscle of the tongue that is not innervated by the hypoglossal nerve (CN XII). Rather, the palatoglossus is innervated by the vagus nerve (CN X) via the pharyngeal plexus.

[edit] External links

• LUC palg
• GPnotebook -1315307440
• Dictionary at eMedicine Palatoglossus+muscle
• Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 05287.011-1

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.