Occipitofrontalis Muscle, Lateral View

Description

Running from the frontal belly over the calvaria to the occipital belly, the occipitofrontalis (epicranius) spans the scalp in a left lateral view of an adult male skull and upper thorax. Anterior fibers lie superficial to the frontal bone and blend inferiorly with the eyebrow region, while posterior fibers sit over the occipital bone near the superior nuchal line; between them, the galea aponeurotica forms the broad tendinous sheet across the vertex. Bony landmarks of the neurocranium and viscerocranium, including the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital bones with the zygomatic arch and mandible, provide orientation, and the upper cervical vertebrae align inferiorly in profile. Clear topography. Understanding the occipitofrontalis in lateral projection helps when teaching layered scalp anatomy, where skin, dense connective tissue, and the galea move as a unit over the pericranium, and where lacerations can gape widely because the aponeurosis holds tension. The same planes matter in the coronal (bicoronal) approach for craniofacial and neurosurgical exposure, where subgaleal or subperiosteal dissection protects the frontal branch of the facial nerve and preserves vascular supply from the superficial temporal system. Clinicians also reference this muscle when assessing forehead animation and brow elevation after facial nerve injury or during planning for brow-lift procedures and botulinum toxin injections to manage frontalis overactivity. Use this artwork in head and neck anatomy courses, facial expression modules, and surgical education materials that need an anatomically grounded overview of the scalp, galea aponeurotica, and their relationship to cranial landmarks in profile. It also suits patient-facing diagrams for brow-lift counseling and publisher figures on scalp layers, coronal incisions, and facial nerve risk zones. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.