Compartmental Tongue - GG & IL

3D Model

This model is produced by manually segmenting the “Visible Human Female” fibre by fibre. In this way the origin and course of the fibres becomes apparent and a finer structure emerges. Bundles of fibres of Genioglossus have distict origins arising from attachment points on the short tendon. Distinct origins is one of the criteria that defines a neuromuscular compartment (NMC)

This view shows NMCs of Genioglossus (GG) and Inferior Longitudinalis (IL) segmented from Visible Human Female. Genioglossus comprises 10 NMCs arranged in 2 rows (medial and lateral). Each pair controls a sector of the tongue body.

The Inferior Longitudinal muscle has 2 NMCs. A longitudinal one running from the root to the tip and an underreported NMC running from lower in the root to the dorsum lateral to the most anterior GG NMC. Its function is likely to be to constrain rostro-caudal expansion of the muscular hydrostat when the transversus muscle contract, thereby bunching the tongue body rather than protruding it.