Temporal muscle

Temporal muscle
The Temporalis; the zygomatic arch and Masseter have been removed.
Latin	musculus temporalis
Origin	temporal lines on the parietal bone of the skull.
Insertion	coronoid process of the mandible.
Artery	deep temporal
Nerve	mandibular nerve (V3)
Actions	elevation and retraction of mandible
Antagonist	Platysma muscle

The temporal muscle is one of the muscles of mastication.

Structure

It arises from the temporal fossa and the deep part of temporal fascia. It passes medial to the zygomatic arch and inserts onto the coronoid process of the mandible.

The temporal muscle is covered by the temporal fascia, also known as the temporal aponeurosis.

The muscle is accessible on the temples, and can be seen and felt contracting while the jaw is clenching and unclenching.

Innervation

As with the other muscles of mastication, control of the temporal muscle comes from the third (mandibular) branch of the trigeminal nerve. Specifically, the muscle is innervated by the deep temporal nerves.

Blood supply

The muscle receives its blood supply from the deep temporal arteries which anastomose with the middle temporal artery.

Actions

Contraction of the temporal muscle elevates the mandible. The somewhat horizontal fibers of the posterior part of the muscle retract the mandible. In humans, the muscle is the most powerful one of the body, with a record bite of 990 pounds observed in a man who suffered an epileptic seizure, which caused him to bite uncontrollably.^{[citation needed]} This shattered most of his teeth. Were the teeth of a human able to withstand the sufficient pressure, he could bite a hole into an automobile tire inflated to 65 psi, chew up a cinder block, or bite through the rings or chain of a pair of handcuffs.

Additional images

Muscles of head and neck	Frontal bone. Outer surface.	Sphenoid bone. Anterior and inferior surfaces.	Mandible. Outer surface. Side view.
Mandible. Inner surface. Side view.	Mandibular division of the trifacial nerve.

External links

• LUC temp
• SUNY Labs 27:04-0100 - "Infratemporal Fossa: The Temporalis Muscle"

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