Occipitofrontalis muscle (anatomy)

Occipitofrontalis is one of the muscles of scalp. It arises from two distinct parts:

• occipital part; originates from the:
  • lateral two-thirds of highest nuchal line of occipital bone
  • mastoid part of temporal bone
• frontal part; originates from the superior fibres of the superior facial muscles including:
  • procerus
  • corrugator supercilii
  • orbicularis oculi

Both parts ascend to insert into the galea aponeurotica over the scalp.

Innervation is from the facial nerve (CN VII):

• occipital part from the posterior auricular branch
• frontal part from the temporal branches

The actions of occipitofrontalis are:

• occipital part; weakly moves the scalp skin posteriorly
• frontal part:
  • weakly moves the scalp skin anteriorly
  • wrinkles the forehead
  • elevates the eybrows