Muscle · Head and neck
Depressor supercilii: origin, insertion, action and innervation
The depressor supercilii runs from the medial orbital rim to the inner eyebrow. It lowers the inner brow; facial nerve, temporal and zygomatic branches.
Quick answer
- Latin name
- Musculus depressor supercilii
- Origin
- Medial orbital rim, on the nasal part of the frontal bone and the frontal process of the maxilla (skull), near the medial palpebral ligament
- Insertion
- Skin under the medial end of the eyebrow
- Action
- Depresses the medial end of the eyebrow
- Innervation
- Facial nerve (CN VII), temporal and zygomatic branches
- Blood supply
- Supratrochlear artery (from the ophthalmic artery) and the angular artery (end of the facial artery)
See it on the 3D body
The depressor supercilii lit on the 3D head, as in the head quiz. Turn the body, peel the layers, tap any structure for its name.
The depressor supercilii is a thin slip of muscle at the inner corner of the eye that pulls the inner end of the eyebrow downward. It runs from the medial rim of the orbit to the skin under the head of the eyebrow and is supplied by the temporal and zygomatic branches of the facial nerve (CN VII).
Where it is
The muscle lies between the root of the nose and the inner end of the eyebrow, just above the medial corner of the eye. It is small and flat, and in a dissection it is hard to separate from its neighbors:
- the orbicularis oculi, the ring of muscle around the eye, which surrounds it;
- the corrugator supercilii, which lies deeper and runs outward along the brow;
- the procerus, which lies over the bridge of the nose, closer to the midline.
Because of this, anatomists do not all agree on how to classify it. Many describe it as a separate muscle; others treat it as part of the orbicularis oculi or of the corrugator. Whatever the label, it works with the other muscles of the glabella, the area between the eyebrows, to lower and gather the brows.
Supercilium is Latin for eyebrow, so the name means "the lowerer of the eyebrow".
Origin and insertion
- Origin: the medial rim of the orbit, on the nasal part of the frontal bone and the frontal process of the maxilla, part of the skull, close to the medial palpebral ligament that anchors the inner corner of the eyelids.
- Insertion: the skin under the medial end of the eyebrow, the "head" of the brow.
Its fibers run almost straight upward, which explains its action: a vertical muscle that pulls the skin above it down toward the bone.
What it does
The depressor supercilii depresses the medial end of the eyebrow. It works with the corrugator supercilii, which pulls the brows together, and the procerus, which pulls the skin between the brows down, to make the frown. Together they lower the inner brow, narrow the space above the eyes and help shade the eye from glare.
Its antagonist is the frontalis. The frontalis lifts the whole eyebrow, including its inner end, while the depressor supercilii pulls that inner end back down. The balance between them sets the shape of the brow at rest and during expressions such as surprise, worry and anger.
Innervation and blood supply
The muscle is supplied by the facial nerve, through its temporal and zygomatic branches. The temporal branch also reaches the corrugator supercilii and the frontalis; the zygomatic branch supplies the orbicularis oculi around the eye. A muscle that sits on the border between these two territories receives twigs from both.
Blood reaches it from the supratrochlear artery, a branch of the ophthalmic artery that leaves the orbit at its upper inner corner, and from the angular artery, the end of the facial artery, which runs up beside the nose to the inner corner of the eye.
How to remember it
- Depressor plus supercilii: it lowers the eyebrow, and only its inner end.
- Straight up and down: a short vertical slip from the orbital rim to the head of the brow.
- The glabella trio: corrugator (pulls the brows together), procerus (pulls the middle down), depressor supercilii (pulls the inner ends down).
- Two nerve branches for a border muscle: it sits between the forehead and the eye, so it gets the temporal branch of the forehead and the zygomatic branch of the eye.
Compare it with the other brow and eye muscles on the muscles of the face page and test yourself in the head quiz.
Frequently asked questions
What does the depressor supercilii do?
It pulls the inner end of the eyebrow downward, helping the corrugator supercilii and the procerus to frown.
Which nerve supplies the depressor supercilii?
The facial nerve (CN VII), through its temporal and zygomatic branches.
Is the depressor supercilii part of the orbicularis oculi?
Some anatomists consider it a part of the orbicularis oculi; others describe it as a separate muscle. It lies right at the edge of the orbicularis oculi.
What is the difference between the depressor supercilii and the corrugator supercilii?
The depressor supercilii runs vertically and lowers the inner end of the brow. The corrugator supercilii runs along the brow and pulls the eyebrows toward each other.
