The tongue is comprised of intrinsic and extrinsic muscles.

The intrinsic muscles are restricted to

the substance of the tongue, whereas the extrinsic muscles arise outside the tongue.

The intrinsic muscles of the tongue can be divided into three fiber groups: transverse, longitudinal
and vertical. However, these groups cannot readily be distinguished because their fibers
intercalate. The transverse fibers pass laterally from a sheet of connective tissue that runs
longitudinally through the midline of the tongue, the lingual septum. The longitudinal fibers are
subdivided into the superior and inferior longitudinal muscles of the tongue. The vertical fibers
pass directly between the upper and lower surfaces of the tongue. They are particularly
prominent at the lateral borders of the tongue. The intrinsic musculature is responsible for
changing the shape of the tongue.

The extrinsic muscles of the tongue arise from the skull and hyoid bone and thence spread into
the body of the tongue. The extrinsic musculature is composed of four pairs of muscles:
genioglossus, hyoglossus, styloglossus and palatoglossus.

Frenulum Linguae

The frenulum linguae is a crescentic median mucosal fold found on the inferior surface of the oral
part of the tongue. It is reinforced by connective tissue and connects the inferior mucosa of the
tongue to the floor of the mouth anteriorly.

Nerve Supply

The tongue receives sensory innervation from the lingual branch of the mandibular nerve, the
chorda tympani branch of the facial nerve, the lingual branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve, and
the superior laryngeal nerve from the vagus nerve. The muscles receive their motor innervation
from the hypoglossal nerve.

Vasculature

The main artery is the lingual branch of the external carotid artery. The lingual root also receives
supply from the tonsillar and the ascending palatine branches of the facial and ascending
pharyngeal arteries. The vallecula is supplied by the epiglottic branches of the superior laryngeal
artery, which anastomose with the inferior dorsal branches of the lingual artery.

The tongue is drained by the dorsal lingual veins and the deep lingual vein.