Anterior auricular muscle
| Anterior auricular muscle | |
|---|---|
muscles of the auricula. Anterior auricular is at right (indicated by the red arrow). | |
| Details | |
| Origin | Temporal fascia |
| Insertion | Major helix (ear) |
| Artery | Posterior auricular artery |
| Nerve | Temporal branch of facial nerve |
| Actions | Pulls ear forward |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | musculus auricularis anterior |
| TA98 | A04.1.03.020 |
| TA2 | 2089 |
| FMA | 46856 |
| Anatomical terms of muscle] | |
The anterior auricular muscle, the smallest of the three
Structure
The anterior auricular muscle arises from the lateral edge of the epicranial aponeurosis.[1] It inserts into a projection on the front of the helix.[1]
Nerve supply
The anterior auricular muscle is supplied is supplied by the temporal branch of the facial nerve (VII).[2][3] It may also receive some small branches from the auriculotemporal nerve, a branch of the mandibular nerve, itself a branch of the trigeminal nerve (V).[4]
Relations
The anterior auricular muscle is the smallest of the three
The superficial temporal artery, a branch of the external carotid artery, travels underneath the anterior auricular muscle to supply the auricle of the outer ear.[1]
Function
The anterior auricular muscle draws the auricle of the outer ear upwards and forwards.[1] This is a very subtle movement in most people, although some people can wiggle their ears.[1]
See also
Additional images
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Auricula in context.
References
This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 1035 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)
