Every head and neck structure on one sheet - muscles of mastication and expression, the skull, the cranial nerves, the organs and glands of the head and neck, and the vessels of the neck.
Head & Neck Sheet
221 rows · AnatoMemory · sample of the first 3 rows of each section (29 of 221)
Muscles
Muscles - Head & Neck Sheet. Every head and neck structure on one sheet - muscles of mastication and expression, the skull, the cranial nerves, the organs and glands of the head and neck, and the vessels of the neck.
Muscle
Origin
Insertion
Action
Innervation
Blood supply
Anterior scalene
Anterior tubercles of the transverse processes of C3–C6
Scalene tubercle on the first rib
Raises the first rib; bends the neck toward the same side and assists neck flexion and rotation
Anterior rami of cervical spinal nerves, commonly described as C4–C6
Ascending cervical artery, usually arising from the inferior thyroid artery
Arytenoid muscles (transverse and oblique)
Transverse fibers: posterior arytenoid surface. Oblique fibers: near the muscular process of an arytenoid.
Transverse fibers reach the opposite posterior surface. Oblique fibers cross toward the opposite apex, with an aryepiglottic continuation in some fibers.
Draw the arytenoids together and support posterior glottic closure. Oblique fibers continuing into the aryepiglottic folds assist inlet narrowing.
Main motor supply from both recurrent laryngeal nerves, branches of CN X; communicating laryngeal nerve fibers also occur.
Laryngeal branches of the thyroid arterial system, especially the superior laryngeal artery, with anastomotic contributions.
Buccinator
Molar regions of the maxillary and mandibular alveolar processes, and the pterygomandibular raphe
Fibers converge at the mouth angle and interlace with orbicularis oris
Presses the cheek inward to position food and assist blowing and sucking
Buccal branches of the facial nerve (CN VII)
Facial artery and the buccal branch of the maxillary artery
Bones
Bones - Head & Neck Sheet. Every head and neck structure on one sheet - muscles of mastication and expression, the skull, the cranial nerves, the organs and glands of the head and neck, and the vessels of the neck.
Bone
Bone type
Key landmarks
Articulations
Ethmoid bone
Irregular cranial bone
Cribriform plate, crista galli, perpendicular plate, ethmoidal air cells, and superior and middle nasal conchae
Frontal, sphenoid and vomer; paired nasal, lacrimal, maxillary, palatine and inferior nasal concha bones
Frontal bone
Flat cranial bone
Squamous and orbital parts; glabella; supraorbital margins with notches or foramina; frontal sinuses
Paired parietal bones at the coronal suture; sphenoid and ethmoid; paired nasal, lacrimal, maxillary and zygomatic bones
Hyoid bone
Irregular, U-shaped bone
Body, greater horns and lesser horns
No articulation with another bone; supported by muscular and ligamentous attachments
Cartilages
Cartilages - Head & Neck Sheet. Every head and neck structure on one sheet - muscles of mastication and expression, the skull, the cranial nerves, the organs and glands of the head and neck, and the vessels of the neck.
Cartilage
Cartilage type
Key landmarks
Articulations
Ossification
Arytenoid cartilage
Paired cartilages with a mainly hyaline body; elastic cartilage occurs at the apex and especially the tip of the vocal process.
Apex and base; anterior vocal process and lateral muscular process. Cricoarytenoid, thyroarytenoid and interarytenoid muscles attach to different surfaces.
The base forms a synovial joint with the cricoid lamina. A corniculate cartilage rests on the apex.
The hyaline regions can ossify with age, with considerable individual variation; the elastic vocal-process tip normally remains flexible.
Corniculate and cuneiform cartilages
Both are paired elastic cartilages.
Corniculate elevations lie posteriorly over the arytenoid apices; cuneiform elevations are farther anterior and lateral in the aryepiglottic folds.
Corniculates articulate with, and sometimes fuse to, the arytenoid apices. Cuneiforms are supported by the folds without a cartilage-to-cartilage articulation.
They normally retain elastic cartilage rather than following the prominent age-related ossification pattern of the thyroid and cricoid.
Cricoid cartilage
Single hyaline cartilage forming a complete airway ring, unlike the open posterior ends of the usual tracheal cartilages.
Anterior arch and posterior lamina, with facets for the arytenoids and inferior thyroid horns. The median cricothyroid ligament attaches above the arch.
Paired cricoarytenoid joints above the lamina and paired cricothyroid joints with the inferior horns of the thyroid cartilage.
Calcification and ossification increase variably during adulthood; there is no dependable onset restricted to middle age.
Nerves
Nerves - Head & Neck Sheet. Every head and neck structure on one sheet - muscles of mastication and expression, the skull, the cranial nerves, the organs and glands of the head and neck, and the vessels of the neck.
Nerve
Root value
Course
Motor
Sensory
Abducens nerve (CN VI) 1
not recorded
Ascends beside the clivus, passes beneath the petrosphenoidal ligament in Dorello’s canal, then travels beside the cavernous internal carotid artery to the orbit
Lateral rectus, producing abduction of the eye
Classified as somatic motor; no cutaneous sensory territory
Accessory nerve (CN XI) 1
not recorded
Ascends from the cervical cord into the posterior cranial fossa, leaves via the jugular foramen, reaches sternocleidomastoid and crosses the posterior triangle to the deep surface of trapezius
Principal motor supply to sternocleidomastoid and trapezius, supporting head rotation and scapular movement
No defined skin territory. Cervical nerve connections carry much of the muscle sensory input; human studies also identify sensory fibers within CN XI.
Ansa cervicalis
Usually C1–C3
Roots descend near the anterior carotid sheath and form a loop; its height and relationship to the internal jugular vein vary
Sternohyoid, sternothyroid and both bellies of omohyoid
No cutaneous sensory territory; conventionally described as a motor loop
Vessels
Vessels - Head & Neck Sheet. Every head and neck structure on one sheet - muscles of mastication and expression, the skull, the cranial nerves, the organs and glands of the head and neck, and the vessels of the neck.
Vessel
Origin
Course
Branches
Supplies
Drains to
Anterior cerebral artery 2
One of the terminal divisions of the internal carotid artery.
A1 usually crosses above the optic nerve toward ACom. Distal segments enter the longitudinal fissure, turn around the callosal genu and continue posteriorly.
Medial perforators, including the recurrent artery of Heubner; orbitofrontal, frontopolar, pericallosal and callosomarginal branches. Their origins and arrangement vary.
Much medial frontal/parietal cortex, including paracentral lobule, and most of the corpus callosum anterior to the splenium. Perforators supply parts of anterior basal ganglia and internal capsule.
not recorded
Anterior communicating artery 2
A connection between right and left ACAs at or near their A1–A2 transitions, rather than a vessel with one universally designated parent side.
Spans the midline above the optic apparatus in the basal interhemispheric region; orientation and number of channels vary.
Variable perforators toward the optic chiasm, hypothalamus, subcallosal/basal-forebrain region and related callosal structures.
Allows cross-flow between ACAs and directly perfuses small adjacent neural territories through its branches.
not recorded
Anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) 2
Usually the lower or middle basilar trunk; occasional alternative origins and duplicated vessels occur.
Travels posterolaterally from the pons into the cerebellopontine region, with a variable loop near the internal acoustic meatus and VII/VIII.
Pontine perforators, cerebellar branches and usually the labyrinthine artery; the latter can instead arise from another parent vessel.
Variable portions of lower lateral pons, middle cerebellar peduncle, flocculus and anteroinferior cerebellum. A labyrinthine branch serves cochlear and vestibular structures.
not recorded
Organs
Organs - Head & Neck Sheet. Every head and neck structure on one sheet - muscles of mastication and expression, the skull, the cranial nerves, the organs and glands of the head and neck, and the vessels of the neck.
Organ
Location
Parts
Relations
Blood supply
Innervation
Venous/Lymphatic drainage
Function
Abducens nucleus 5,6,7
Dorsal caudal pons, near the floor of the fourth ventricle and immediately lateral to the medial longitudinal fasciculus
Lateral-rectus motor neurons and interneurons linking to the opposite oculomotor nucleus; smaller populations have other projections
The internal genu of CN VII loops around the nucleus beneath the facial colliculus
not recorded
not recorded
not recorded
Coordinates ipsilateral eye abduction with contralateral eye adduction for conjugate horizontal gaze
Amygdala 6,7
Anterior medial temporal lobe, deep to the uncus and near the anterior end of the temporal horn
Basolateral, cortical-related and central nuclei, with additional groups and connections to the extended amygdala
Near the hippocampal head and caudate tail; connections reach the hypothalamus through the stria terminalis and ventral amygdalofugal pathway
Branches of the middle cerebral and anterior choroidal arteries; the pattern varies
not recorded
not recorded
Emotional learning, evaluation of significant stimuli, and coordination of behavioral, autonomic and endocrine responses
Arachnoid granulations 6,7,8
At the arachnoid–dura interface, including projections into venous sinuses and lateral lacunae, especially near the superior sagittal sinus
Microscopic arachnoid villi and larger granulations; size, shape and distribution change with age
not recorded
Generally considered avascular, although rare capillaries have been demonstrated in the connective-tissue core of some granulations
not recorded
not recorded
Associated with transfer of CSF toward venous and perisinus spaces; their share of total outflow remains under study
Glands
Glands - Head & Neck Sheet. Every head and neck structure on one sheet - muscles of mastication and expression, the skull, the cranial nerves, the organs and glands of the head and neck, and the vessels of the neck.
Gland
Location
Hormones
Blood supply
Innervation
Function
Adenohypophysis (anterior pituitary)
Predominantly the anterior part of the pituitary within the sella turcica; pars tuberalis extends around the stalk.
Growth hormone, prolactin, ACTH, TSH, FSH and LH are the six major circulating hormones.
Mainly portal blood reaching the anterior-lobe capillary network; human studies also describe variable direct arterial contributions.
Hypothalamic control is chiefly through releasing and inhibiting factors carried in portal vessels, rather than axons ending on each endocrine cell.
Coordinates growth, lactation and thyroid, adrenal and gonadal activity within feedback-regulated endocrine systems.
Inferior parathyroid gland
Usually near the lower thyroid pole, often anterior to the recurrent laryngeal nerve's plane; ectopic positions follow the thymic migration route.
Parathyroid hormone, mainly produced by chief cells.
Usually inferior thyroid arterial branches; ectopic glands may recruit vessels from their local surroundings.
Autonomic fibers accompany vessels. Circulating ionized calcium, detected by calcium-sensing receptors, is the main secretory regulator.
Helps maintain extracellular calcium through kidney and bone effects and increased renal activation of vitamin D; promotes renal phosphate excretion.
Infundibulum (pituitary stalk)
Between the median eminence and pituitary gland, passing through the sellar diaphragm; its relation to the optic chiasm varies.
Transports vasopressin and oxytocin in axons, and hypothalamic regulatory factors in portal blood.
Superior hypophyseal branches supply the upper stalk; lower connections include the inferior hypophyseal vascular network.
Contains hypothalamic neurosecretory axons, including fibers from the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei.
Maintains the principal neural and vascular communication between hypothalamus and pituitary.
Joints
Joints - Head & Neck Sheet. Every head and neck structure on one sheet - muscles of mastication and expression, the skull, the cranial nerves, the organs and glands of the head and neck, and the vessels of the neck.
Joint
Joint type
Articulating surfaces
Ligaments
Movements
Blood supply
Cricoarytenoid joint
Paired synovial articulation enclosed by a capsule.
Articular surface on the arytenoid base against a facet on the superior lateral cricoid lamina.
The capsule and cricoarytenoid ligament constrain displacement; neighboring vocal-ligament and conus-elasticus attachments also contribute to stability.
Coupled rocking, gliding and rotation reposition the arytenoid and its vocal process during vocal-fold opening and closure.
Small branches of the anastomosing laryngeal arterial network supply the capsule and adjacent tissues.
Cricothyroid joint
Paired synovial joints; the definition and shape of the articular facets vary.
Medial surface of each inferior thyroid horn against the lateral cricoid articular region.
A fibrous capsule reinforced by ceratocricoid ligaments, particularly lateral and posterior bands; their arrangement varies.
Rotation around an approximately transverse axis with variable horizontal and vertical gliding.
Local thyroid-artery branches, including the cricothyroid branch, supply the joint region.
Ligaments
Ligaments - Head & Neck Sheet. Every head and neck structure on one sheet - muscles of mastication and expression, the skull, the cranial nerves, the organs and glands of the head and neck, and the vessels of the neck.
Ligament
Attachments
Function
Clinical point
Cricothyroid ligament
Cricoid superior border below; thyroid angle anteriorly and arytenoid vocal processes posteriorly. The median portion directly joins the thyroid and cricoid in front.
Supports the subglottic wall and forms the vocal ligaments along its superior margins, transmitting forces between the laryngeal cartilages.
The median ligament is an emergency airway landmark. Nearby and crossing vessels explain bleeding risk; this anatomical description is not a procedural guide.
Diaphragma sellae
Spans the sellar roof between the tuberculum sellae anteriorly and dorsum sellae posteriorly, blending laterally with adjacent dura
Separates much of the pituitary fossa from the suprasellar compartment while allowing passage of the stalk and vessels
Suprasellar extension may compress crossing optic fibers, producing the classic bitemporal visual-field pattern
Falx cerebri
Anterior attachment to the frontal crest and crista galli; superior attachment along the cranial midline; posterior continuity with the tentorium near the internal occipital protuberance
Supports separation of the hemispheres and limits relative displacement; its margins and posterior junction contain major venous sinuses
In subfalcine herniation, medial cerebral tissue is displaced beneath the falx's free inferior margin
Spaces
Spaces - Head & Neck Sheet. Every head and neck structure on one sheet - muscles of mastication and expression, the skull, the cranial nerves, the organs and glands of the head and neck, and the vessels of the neck.
Space
Boundaries
Contents
Communications
Carotid sinus
Usually distal common/proximal internal carotid wall near the upper thyroid-cartilage level. Both bifurcation height and the extent of the sinus vary.
An arterial lumen surrounded by a wall specialized for stretch sensing, with abundant sensory endings toward the outer wall. The carotid body is a nearby separate structure.
Sensory axons primarily enter the carotid sinus branch of IX and project to the solitary nucleus, where cardiovascular reflex circuits integrate them with other inputs.
Central sulcus
Precentral gyrus on the anterior side and postcentral gyrus on the posterior side; the sulcus descends forward from near the superomedial hemispheric border
Opposing cortical banks, pial vessels and the overlying subarachnoid CSF space
Extends onto the medial surface within the paracentral region and usually ends above the lateral sulcus; precentral and postcentral sulci lie nearby
Cerebral aqueduct
Lined by ependyma within the midbrain and surrounded by periaqueductal gray, between the tectal and tegmental regions
Cerebrospinal fluid; no choroid plexus
Third ventricle rostrally to fourth ventricle caudally
Built from the head and neck records of the AnatoMemory reference library.
No "Root value" value is recorded for this structure in the reference data.
No "Drains to" value is recorded for this structure in the reference data.
No "Supplies" value is recorded for this structure in the reference data.
No "Branches" value is recorded for this structure in the reference data.
No "Blood supply" value is recorded for this structure in the reference data.
No "Innervation" value is recorded for this structure in the reference data.
No "Venous/Lymphatic drainage" value is recorded for this structure in the reference data.
No "Relations" value is recorded for this structure in the reference data.
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