Structure and variability in human tongue muscle anatomy

Maureen StoneDepartment of Neural and Pain Sciences, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, Baltimore, MD, USACorrespondence[email protected]

Jonghye WooMassachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

Junghoon LeeDepartment of Radiology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

Tera PooleDepartment of Neural and Pain Sciences, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, Baltimore, MD, USA

Amy SeagravesDepartment of Neural and Pain Sciences, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, Baltimore, MD, USA

Michael ChungDepartment of Neural and Pain Sciences, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, Baltimore, MD, USA

Eric KimDepartment of Neural and Pain Sciences, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, Baltimore, MD, USA

Emi Z. MuranoDepartment of Otolaryngology, Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Sao Paolo, Brazil

Jerry L. PrinceDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

Silvia S. BlemkerDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA

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Abstract

The human tongue has a complex architecture, consistent with its complex roles in eating, speaking and breathing. Tongue muscle architecture has been depicted in drawings and photographs, but not quantified volumetrically. This paper aims to fill that gap by measuring the muscle architecture of the tongue for 14 people captured in high-resolution 3D MRI volumes. The results show the structure, relationships and variability among the muscles, as well as the effects of age, gender and weight on muscle volume. Since the tongue consists of partially interdigitated muscles, we consider the muscle volumes in two ways. The functional muscle volume encompasses the region of the tongue served by the muscle. The structural volume halves the volume of the muscle in regions where it interdigitates with other muscles. Results show similarity of scaling across subjects, and speculate on functional effects of the anatomical structure.

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Funding

This work was supported in part by the National Cancer Institute (NIH) [grant number R01CA133015].

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Structure and variability in human tongue muscle anatomy

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Structure and variability in human tongue muscle anatomy

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