Tongue - Anatomy & Physiology

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Introduction

The tongue (lingua) occupies the ventral aspect of the oral cavity and oropharynx. Itis involved with grooming, lapping, prehension and manipultaing food in oral cavity. It is also involved in the deglutition reflex and vocalisation.

The tongue is capable of vigerous and precise movements due to the apex being free of attachments to the oral cavity.

Functional Anatomy

• Skeletal muscle dorsally

• Structural fat surrounded by cartilagenous sheath forming lyssa (canids only) ventrally

• Attached root and body with a free apex

• Frenulum (fold of mucosa) attaches the body of the tongue to the floor of the oral cavity

• Root of tongue attached to hyoid bone

• In the horse and dog the tongue is 'u' shaped, becoming broader towards the tip. The furrow in the centre of the canid tongue is called the median sulcus.

• In the ox, sheep and pig the tongue if 'v' shaped with a pointed apex. The tonus linguae is a swelling across the tongue laterally which pushes food against the hard palate.

Muscles

Intrinsic Muscles

• The dorsal and ventral longitudinal

• Transverse and vertical bundles

Extrinsic Muscles

• Styloglossus

   -Origin: Hyoid apparatus (stylohyoid)
   -Retracts and elevates tongue

• Genioglossus

   -Origin: Incisive part of mandible
   -Protrudes and depressed tongue

• Hyoglossus

   -Origin: Hyoid apparatus (basihyoid)
   -Retracts and depresses tongue

• Geniohyoideus

   -Origin: Incisive part of mandible
   -Insertion: Body of hyoid
   -Lies below the tongue (not within it)
   -Draws the hyoid and therefore the tongue forward

Innervation

• All muscles moving the tongue are innervated by the hypoglossal nerve (CN XII)

• Rostral 2/3 of tongue is innervated by the lingual branch of trigeminal (CN V) which is sensory supplying temperature, touch and pain. The Chorda tympani of facial (CN VII) supplies the taste.

• The caudal 1/3 of tongue is innervated by the glossopharyngeal (CN IX) providing motor function for taste.

Histology

• Stratified squamous epithelium

• Lingual glands

• Mucosal covering tightly adheres to the contact surface

• Degree of keratinisation depends on diet

• Less keratinisation on ventral surface and sides of tongue

• Covered by papillae (taste buds)for protection and taste

• Papillae are specialised projections of the mucosa

• Some papillae have taste buds others are mechanical to roughen surface of tongue

Types of Papillae

• Conical

   -Not in horses
   -Caudal 1/3 of tongue
   -Point caudally
   -No taste buds
   -Thick epithelium

• Foliate

   -8 to 12 papillae in group, one either side of tongue midline
   -Stratified squamous epithelium
   -Caudal 1/3 of tongue
   -Taste buds present

• Vallate

   -3 to 6
   -Often secondary papillae in taste buds
   -Broad glands
   -Caudal 1/3 of tongue
   -Taste buds present

• Fungiform

   -Red dots on tongue surface
   -Keratinised, stratified squamous epithelium
   -Blood vessels
   -Loss of heat via panting in dogs
   -Rostral 2/3 of tongue
   -Taste buds present

• Filoform

   -Most numerous
   -Points caudally
   -No taste buds
   -Smallest
   -Thick epithelium
   -Very prominent in cat
   -Rostral 2/3 of tongue

Taste Buds

• Also found on the soft palate and pharynx (but sparsely distributed)

• Constant cell turnover

• Flat, think cells

• Taste hairs (microvilli) pointing though taste pore

• Nerves transduce chemical signals into nervous signals

Species Differences

• Dog has stretch receptors in the tongue

• Dog uses the tongue to lose heat by panting

• Ruminant tongue is heavily keratinised with long papillae for eating (protective surface)

• Cat has long papillae for grooming so tongue is rough

• Ox has lenticular papillae which are hard and horny due to heavy keratinisation

• Most of the papillae in the pig are soft, long and directed caudally