| Digastric muscle | |
|---|---|
 Muscles of the neck. Lateral view. | |
 Front view of neck. | |
| Details | |
| Origin | Anterior belly - digastric fossa (mandible); posterior belly - mastoid notch of temporal bone |
| Insertion | Intermediate tendon (hyoid bone) |
| Artery | Anterior belly - Submental branch of facial artery; posterior belly - occipital artery |
| Nerve | Anterior belly - mandibular division (V3) of the trigeminal (CN V) via the mylohyoid nerve; posterior belly - facial nerve (CN VII) |
| Actions | Opens the jaw when the masseter and the temporalis are relaxed. |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | musculus digastricus |
| TA98 | A04.2.03.002 |
| TA2 | 2160 |
| FMA | 46291 |
| Anatomical terms of muscle | |
The digastric muscle (also digastricus) (named digastric as it has two 'bellies') is a bilaterally paired suprahyoid muscle located under the jaw. Its posterior belly is attached to the mastoid notch of temporal bone, and its anterior belly is attached to the digastric fossa of mandible; the two bellies are united by an intermediate tendon which is held in a loop that attaches to the hyoid bone. The anterior belly is innervated via the mandibular nerve (cranial nerve V), and the posterior belly is innervated via the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII). It may act to depress the mandible or elevate the hyoid bone.
The term "digastric muscle" refers to this specific muscle even though there are other muscles in the body to feature two bellies.[citation needed]