science

Palatopharyngeus muscle

Palatopharyngeus muscle 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 Palatopharyngeus muscle rather than just read about it. In short: The palatopharyngeus (palatopharyngeal or pharyngopalatinus) muscle is a small muscle in the roof of the mouth. It is a long, fleshy fasciculus, narrower in the middle than at either end, forming, with the mucous membrane covering its surface, the palatopharyngeal arch.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The palatopharyngeus (palatopharyngeal or pharyngopalatinus) muscle is a small muscle in the roof of the mouth. It is a long, fleshy fasciculus, narrower in the middle than at either end, forming, with the mucous membrane covering its surface, the palatopharyngeal arch.

Structure It is separated from the palatoglossus muscle by an angular interval, in which the palatine tonsil is lodged. It arises from the soft palate, where it is divided into two fasciculi by the levator veli palatini and musculus uvulae.

The posterior fasciculus lies in contact with the mucous membrane, and joins with that of the opposite muscle in the middle line. The anterior fasciculus, the thicker, lies in the soft palate between the levator and tensor veli palatini muscles, and joins in the middle line the corresponding part of the opposite muscle. Passing laterally and downward behind the palatine tonsil, the palatopharyngeus joins the stylopharyngeus and is inserted with that muscle into the posterior border of the thyroid cartilage, some of its fibers being lost on the side of the pharynx and others passing across the middle line posteriorly to decussate with the muscle of the opposite side.

Innervation Motor innervation of this muscle is provided through the pharyngeal plexus of the CN X (vagal nerve), SVE (special visceral efferent) fibers.

Function The palatine velum is slightly raised by the levator veli palatini and made tense by the tensor veli palatini; the palatopharyngeus muscles, by their contraction, pull the pharynx upward over the bolus of food and nearly come together, the uvula filling up the slight interval between them. By these means the bolus is prevented from passing into the nasopharynx; at the same time, the palatopharyngeus muscles form an inclined plane, directed obliquely downward and backward, along the under surface of which the bolus descends into the lower part of the pharynx.

Additional images

References This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 1140 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

External links

Anatomy figure: 31:04-05 at Human Anatomy Online, SUNY Downstate Medical Center Anatomy photo:34:04-0104 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center "Anatomy diagram: 05287.011-1". Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator. Elsevier. Archived from the original on 2014-01-01.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Palatopharyngeus muscle

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Palatopharyngeus muscle 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 Palatopharyngeus muscle 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 Palatopharyngeus muscle 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 Palatopharyngeus muscle

In research: Palatopharyngeus muscle 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 Palatopharyngeus muscle 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: Palatopharyngeus muscle is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Human head and neck, Muscles of the head and neck, Otorhinolaryngology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Palatopharyngeus muscle 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 Palatopharyngeus muscle in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Palatopharyngeus muscle 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 Palatopharyngeus muscle out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Palatopharyngeus muscle in simple terms?

Why does Palatopharyngeus muscle 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 Palatopharyngeus muscle?

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 Palatopharyngeus muscle.