The occipitalis muscle (occipital belly) is a muscle which covers parts of the skull. Some sources consider the occipital muscle to be a distinct muscle. However, Terminologia Anatomica currently classifies it as part of the occipitofrontalis muscle along with the frontalis muscle.
| Occipitalis muscle | |
|---|---|
 Muscles of the face and neck (occipitalis muscle visible at center right in red) | |
| Details | |
| Origin | Superior nuchal line of the occipital bone and mastoid process of the temporal bone |
| Insertion | Galea aponeurosis |
| Artery | Occipital artery |
| Nerve | Posterior auricular nerve (a branch of the facial nerve) |
| Actions | Moves the scalp back |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | venter occipitalis musculi occipitofrontalis |
| TA98 | A04.1.03.005 |
| TA2 | 2057 |
| FMA | 46758 |
| Anatomical terms of muscle | |
The occipitalis muscle is thin and quadrilateral in form. It arises from tendinous fibers from the lateral two-thirds of the superior nuchal line of the occipital bone and from the mastoid process of the temporal and ends in the epicranial aponeurosis.[1]
The occipitalis muscle is innervated by the posterior auricular nerve (a branch of the facial nerve) and its function is to move the scalp back.[2] The muscles receives blood from the occipital artery.
Additional image
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Position of occipitalis muscle (shown in red).
See also
editReferences
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This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 379 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)
- ^ Stone, Robert & Judith (2000). Atlas of skeletal muscles. McGraw-Hill. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-07-290332-4.
- ^ Drake, Richard L.; Vogl, A. Wayne; Mitchell, Adam W. M. (2010). Gray's Anatomy for Students (2nd ed.). p. 857. ISBN 978-0-443-06952-9.
