Occipitofrontalis

By Shoummojit Roy on July 5, 2012 in Muscular System

What is Occipitofrontalis?

It refers to a large muscle upon the skull of humans that extends to the back of the head from the brow.

It comprises of two bellies or sections:

Frontal belly – It is located close to the frontal bone.
Occipital belly – As the name suggests, it is situated close to the occipital bone.

Occipitofrontalis Synonyms

The muscle is also known by the names

Epicranius
Musculus Occipitofrontalis
Musculus Occipito-frontal

In Latin, it is known by the names Venter frontalis and Venter occipitalis.

Occipitofrontalis Origin

The muscle originates in the frontal belly region. It arises from the fascia over the ridges of the brow.

Occipitofrontalis Location

It is located on either side of the vertex of the skull.

Occipitofrontalis Anatomy

It is composed of the occipitalis muscle in the back and the frontalis muscle in the front, with the galea aponeurotica situated in between.

Occipitofrontalis Blood supply

The occipitofrontalis’ occipital belly receives the supply of blood from the branches of the occipital arteries and the posterior auricular.

Occipitofrontalis Function

It helps the frontal and the occipital belly to draw back the scalp which aids in raising the eyebrows and forming a wrinkle over the forehead.

In human beings, it is only needed for facial expressions. In apes, this strong muscle is required to pull back on the skull.

Occipitofrontalis Disorders

The conditions that can affect this muscle include:

Atrophy
Contusions
Pain in head
Infectious myositis
Lacerations Migraine
Myopathy
Neuromuscular diseases
Strains
Tears

Occipitofrontalis Clinical Relevance

Occipitofrontalis Pain

It usually occurs in either the occipitalis or the frontalis. In the latter case, the pain is in the forehead while in case of former, the moderate pain is experienced at the back of your skull. The pain in the skull’s back is referred to as suboccipital and is quite severe in intensity. The pain, sometimes, affects the back of the eye. In fact, the pain is so severe that it appears to be a stroke in some cases.