Muscles of the Soft Palate

The Levator Veli Palatini (Levator Palati)

• Superior attachment: cartilage of the auditory tube and petrous part of temporal bone.
• Inferior attachment: palatine aponeurosis.
• Innervation: pharyngeal branch of vagus via pharyngeal plexus.

• This cylindrical muscle runs inferoanteriorly, spreading out in the soft palate, where it attaches to the superior surface of the palatine aponeurosis.

• It elevates the soft palate, drawing it superiorly and posteriorly.
• It also opens the auditory tube to equalise air pressure in the middle ear and pharynx.

The Tensor Veli Palatini (Tensor Palati)

• Superior attachment: scaphoid fossa of medial pterygoid plate, spine of sphenoid bone, and cartilage of auditory tube.
• Inferior attachment: palatine aponeurosis.
• Innervation: medial pterygoid nerve (a branch of the mandibular nerve).

• This thin, triangular muscle passes inferiorly, and hooks around the hamulus of the medial pterygoid plate.
• It then inserts into the palatine aponeurosis.

• This muscle tenses the soft palate by using the hamulus as a pulley.
• It also pulls the membranous portion of the auditory tube open to equalise air pressure of the middle ear and pharynx.

The Palatoglossus Muscle

• Superior attachment: palatine aponeurosis.
• Inferior attachment: side of tongue.
• Innervation: cranial part of accessory nerve (CN XI) through the pharyngeal branch of vagus (CN X) via the pharyngeal plexus.

• This muscle, covered by mucous membrane, forms the palatoglossal arch.

• The palatoglossus elevates the posterior part of the tongue and draws the soft palate inferiorly onto the tongue.

• Superior attachment: hard palatThe Palatopharyngeus Musclee and palatine aponeurosis.
• Inferior attachment: lateral wall of pharynx.
• Innervation: cranial part of accessory nerve (CN XI) through the pharyngeal branch of vagus (CN X) via the pharyngeal plexus.

• This thin, flat muscle is covered with mucous membrane to form the palatopharyngeal arch.
• It passes posteroinferiorly in this arch.

• This muscle tenses the soft palate and pulls the walls of the pharynx superiorly, anteriorly and medially during swallowing.

The Musculus Uvulae

• Superior attachment: posterior nasal spine and palatine aponeurosis.
• Inferior attachment: mucosa of uvula.
• Innervation: cranial part of accessory through the pharyngeal branch of vagus, via the pharyngeal plexus.

• It passes posteriorly on each side of the median plane and inserts into the mucosa of the uvula.
• When the muscle contracts, it shortens the uvula and pulls it superiorly.

• Articulations

  Classified according to their structure, composition,and movability
  •    Fibrous joints-surfaces of bones almost in direct contact with limited movement
      o    Syndesmosis-two bones united by interosseous ligaments
      o    Sutures-serrated margins of bones united by a thin layer of fibrous tissue
      o    Gomphosis-insertion of a cone-shaped process into a socket

  •    Cartilaginous joints-no joint cavity and contiguous bones united by cartilage
      o    Synchondrosis-ends of two bones approximated by hyaline cartilage
      o    Symphyses-approximating bone surfaces connected by fibrocartilage

  •    Synovial joints-approximating bone surfaces covered with cartilage; may be separated by a disk; attached by ligaments 
      o    Hinge-permits motion in one plane only
      o    Pivot-permits rotary movement in which a ring rotates around a central axis
      o    Saddle-opposing surfaces are convexconcave. allowing great freedom of motion
      o    Ball and socket - capable of movement in an infinite number of axes; rounded head of one bone moves in a cuplike cavity of the approximating bone

  Bursae
  •    Sacs filled with synovial fluid that are present where tendons rub against bone or where skjn rubs across bone
  •    Some bursae communicate with a joint cavity 
  •    Prominent bursae found at the elbow. hip, and knee'

  Movements
  •    Gliding
      o    Simplest kind of motion in a joint
      o    Movement on a joint that does not involve any angular or rotary motions
  •    Flexion-decreases the angle formed by the union of two bones
  •    Extension-increases the angle formed by the union of two bones
  •    Abduction-occurs by moving part of the appendicular skeleton away from the median plane of the body
  •    Adduction-occurs by moving part of the appendicular skeleton toward the median plane of the body
  •    Circumduction
      o    Occurs in ball-and-socket joints
      o    Circumscribes the conic space of one bone by the other bone
  •    Rotation-turning on an axis without being displaced from that axis
   

3 basic functions
o    protection of respiratory tract during swallowing food/air pathways cross.
    epiglottis provides protection
o    control intra-thoracic pressure (in coughing) -    close off airway to build pressure then rapidly open to release stuff
o    production of sound (in speaking, singing, laughing)

Important structures

o    hyoid bone
o    thyroid cartilage
o    arytenoids cartilage: vocal and muscle process
    sits on slope on posterior side of cricoid - spin and slide
o    cricoid cartilage: signet ring
o    thyroepiglottic ligament

Membranes and ligaments

o    membrane: general; ligament: thickening of membrane
o    folds: free edges of membranes or ligaments
o    names: tell you where located

Important membranes:
    quandrangular/vestibular membrane—from epiglottis to arytenoids
•    inferior edge: false vocal fold
    thyrohyoid membrane
    conus elasticus = cricothyroid = cricovocal
•    superior/medial edge = vocal fold
•    vocal ligaments: true folds, top of cricothyroid membrane

Nerves of the Palate

• The sensory nerves of the palate, which are branches of the pterygopalatine ganglion, are the greater and lesser palatine nerves.
• They accompany the arteries through the greater and lesser palatine foramina, respectively.

• The greater palatine nerve supplies the gingivae, mucous membrane, and glands of the hard palate.

• The lesser palatine nerve supplies the soft palate.

• Another branch of the pterygopalatine ganglion, the nasopalatine nerve, emerges from the incisive foramen and supplies the mucous membrane of the anterior part of the hard palate.

Vessels of the Palate

• The palate has a rich blood supply from branches of the maxillary artery.

Muscles Moving the Auditory Ossicles

The Tensor Tympani Muscle

• This muscle is about 2 cm long.

• Origin: superior surface of the cartilaginous part of the auditory tube, the greater wing of the sphenoid bone, and the petrous part of the temporal bone.
• Insertion: handle of the malleus.
• Innervation: mandibular nerve (CN V³) through the nerve to medial pterygoid.

• The tensor tympani muscle pulls the handle of the malleus medially, tensing the tympanic membrane, and reducing the amplitude of its oscillations.
• This tends to prevent damage to the internal ear when one is exposed to load sounds.

The Stapedius Muscle

• This tiny muscle is in the pyramidal eminence or the pyramid.

• Origin: pyramidal eminence on the posterior wall of the tympanic cavity. Its tendon enters the tympanic cavity by traversing a pinpoint foramen in the apex of the pyramid.
• Insertion: neck of the stapes.
• Innervation: nerve to the stapedius muscle, which arises from the facial nerve (CN VII).

• The stapedius muscle pulls the stapes posteriorly and tilts its base in the fenestra vestibuli or oval window, thereby tightening the anular ligament and reducing the oscillatory range.
• It also prevents excessive movement of the stapes.