tongue

The tongue is a muscular structure located on the floor of the oral cavity.

It is the primary taste organ and plays a key role in the initial phases of swallowing.

Intrinsic Muscles

The intrinsic muscles originate and attach to other structures within the tongue.

There are four paired intrinsic muscles of the tongue and they are named by the direction in which they travel – the superior longitudinal, inferior longitudinal, transverse and vertical muscles of the tongue. These muscles affect the shape and size of the tongue – for example, in tongue rolling – and have a role in facilitating speech, eating and swallowing.

The motor innervation to the intrinsic muscles of the tongue is via the hypoglossal nerve (CN XII).