science

Occipital artery

Occipital artery is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Occipital artery rather than just read about it. In short: The occipital artery is a branch of the external carotid artery that provides arterial supply to the back of the scalp, sternocleidomastoid muscles, and deep muscles of the back and neck. Structure Origin The occipital artery arises from (the posterior aspect of) the external carotid artery (some 2 cm distal to the origin of the external carotid artery).

Key takeaways

Occipital artery belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Occipital artery to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Occipital artery from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The occipital artery is a branch of the external carotid artery that provides arterial supply to the back of the scalp, sternocleidomastoid muscles, and deep muscles of the back and neck.

Structure

Origin The occipital artery arises from (the posterior aspect of) the external carotid artery (some 2 cm distal to the origin of the external carotid artery).

Course and relations At its origin, the hypoglossal nerve (CN XII) crosses artery superficially as the nerve passes posteroanteriorly. The artery passes superoposteriorly deep to the posterior belly of the digastricus muscle. It crosses the internal carotid artery and vein, the vagus nerve (CN X), accessory nerve (CN XI), and hypoglossal nerve (CN XII). It next ascends to the interval between the transverse process of the atlas and the mastoid process of the temporal bone, and passes horizontally backward, grooving the surface of the latter bone, being covered by the sternocleidomastoideus, splenius capitis, longissimus capitis, and digastricus, and resting upon the rectus capitis lateralis, the obliquus capitis superior, and semispinalis capitis. It then changes its course and runs vertically upward, pierces the fascia connecting the cranial attachment of the trapezius with the sternocleidomastoideus, and ascends in a tortuous course in the superficial fascia of the scalp, where it divides into numerous branches, which reach as high as the vertex of the skull and anastomose with the posterior auricular and superficial temporal arteries.

Distribution Muscular branches: supply the digastric, stylohyoid, splenius, and longus capitis muscles. Sternocleidomastoid branch: This branch divides into upper and lower branches in the carotid triangle. The upper branch accompanies the accessory nerve to the sternocleidomastoid, and the lower branch arises near the origin of the occipital artery before entering the sternocleidomastoid muscle. Occasionally, this branch arises directly from the external carotid artery. Auricular branch: supplies the back of the ear. In many specimens, this branch gives rise to the mastoid branch, which supplies the dura mater, diploe, and mastoid air cells. In other specimens, the mastoid artery is a branch of the occipital artery, rather than the auricular branch. Meningeal branch: supplies the dura mater in the posterior cranial fossa Descending branches: This is the largest branch. It descends on the posterior aspect of the neck, and divides into a superficial and deep portion. The superficial portion supplies the trapezius muscle and anastomoses with the ascending branch of the transverse cervical. The deep portion anastomoses with the vertebral artery and with the a. profunda cervicalis, a branch of the costocervical trunk. Thus, branches of the occipital artery participate in anastomosis between the external carotid and the subclavian artery, thereby providing collateral circulation. Its terminal portion is accompanied by the greater occipital nerve.

Additional images

References This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 556 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

External links lesson4 at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (parotid4) Diagram at stchas.edu http://www.dartmouth.edu/~humananatomy/figures/chapter_47/47-2.HTM Archived 2018-03-03 at the Wayback Machine

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Occipital artery

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Occipital artery claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Occipital artery before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Occipital artery ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Occipital artery

In research: Occipital artery appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Occipital artery in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Occipital artery is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Arteries of the head and neck, Cardiovascular system, Human head and neck, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Occipital artery outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Occipital artery in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Occipital artery means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Occipital artery out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Occipital artery in simple terms?

The occipital artery is a branch of the external carotid artery that provides arterial supply to the back of the scalp, sternocleidomastoid muscles, and deep muscles of the back and neck. Structure Origin The occipital artery arises from (the posterior aspect of) the external carotid artery (some 2…

Why does Occipital artery matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Occipital artery?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Occipital artery.