Forehead | |
---|---|
Details | |
System | Unknown, none |
Artery | supraorbital, supratrochlear |
Vein | supraorbital, frontal |
Nerve | trigeminal, facial |
Identifiers | |
Latin | sinciput |
MeSH | A01.456.505.580 |
Dorlands /Elsevier |
f_16z/12379682 |
TA |
A01.1.00.002 A02.1.00.013 |
FMA | 46448 |
Anatomical terminology
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In human anatomy, the forehead is an area of the head bounded by three features, two of the skull and one of the scalp. The top of the forehead is marked by the hairline, the edge of the area where hair on the scalp grows. The bottom of the forehead is marked by the supraorbital ridge, the bone feature of the skull above the eyes. The two sides of the forehead are marked by the temporal ridge, a bone feature that links the supraorbital ridge to the coronal suture line and beyond.
In Terminologia Anatomica, sinciput is given as the Latin equivalent to "forehead". (Etymology of sinciput: from semi- "half" + caput "head".)
The bone of the forehead is the squamous part of the frontal bone. The overlying muscles are the occipitofrontalis, procerus, and corrugator supercilii muscles, all of which are controlled by the temporal branch of the facial nerve.
The sensory nerves of the forehead connect to the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve and to the cervical plexus, and lie within the subcutaneous fat. The motor nerves of the forehead connect to the facial nerve. The ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve, the supraorbital nerve, divides at the orbital rim into two parts in the forehead. One part, the superficial division, runs over the surface of the occipitofrontalis muscle. This provides sensation for the skin of the forehead, and for the front edge of the scalp. The other part, the deep division, runs into the occipitofrontalis muscle and provides frontoparietal sensation.
Blood supply to the forehead is via the left and right superorbital, supertrochealar, and anterior branches of the superficial temporal artery.