digastric muscle
anatomy
Quick Summary
muscles of the neck; human muscle system
Muscles of the neck.
The digastric muscle is a pair of muscles that play a role in depressing the lower jaw and raising the hyoid bone during swallowing. This muscle is innervated by both the mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve (the fifth cranial nerve) and the facial nerve (the seventh cranial nerve). The trigeminal nerve innervates the anterior belly of the digastric muscle, while the facial nerve innervates the posterior belly. This dual innervation reflects the muscle's complex embryological origin from different pharyngeal arches.12
Summary created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
3 Britannica Sources
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
