Auricularis Superior

Ear · Head & Neck

The Auricularis Superior is found among the Ear muscles of the Head & Neck. It arises from Epicranial aponeurosis (galea aponeurotica) and attaches to Upper part of the cranial surface of the auricle. Its chief action is that it elevates the auricle. Innervation is provided by the Temporal branch of facial nerve (CN VII).

Origin, Insertion, Action & Nerve

Origin

Epicranial aponeurosis (galea aponeurotica)

Insertion

Upper part of the cranial surface of the auricle

Action

Elevates the auricle

Nerve

Temporal branch of facial nerve (CN VII)

Attachments explained

The Auricularis Superior is defined first by where it attaches. Its origin is the more fixed anchor, usually the proximal or more stable end that stays put during contraction, while its insertion is the more mobile point that is pulled toward the origin when the muscle shortens.

Origin

Epicranial aponeurosis (galea aponeurotica)

Insertion

Upper part of the cranial surface of the auricle

Action & function

When the Auricularis Superior contracts, it produces the following movement: Elevates the auricle.

As part of the Ear group of the Head & Neck, it works alongside neighbouring muscles to generate smooth, coordinated movement and to stabilise the structures it acts on.

Nerve supply & clinical relevance

The Auricularis Superior receives its nerve supply from the Temporal branch of facial nerve (CN VII).

Because a muscle can only contract when its nerve is intact, injury to the Temporal branch of facial nerve can weaken or paralyse the Auricularis Superior, impairing the movements it normally produces (elevates the auricle). This is why knowing the innervation is central to localising nerve lesions in clinical practice.

How to study the Auricularis Superior (the OIANS method)

OIANS stands for Origin, Insertion, Action and Nerve, the four facts that uniquely define every skeletal muscle. To learn the Auricularis Superior, work through them in order: picture its origin, trace the muscle to its insertion, reason out the action that shortening between those two points must create, then add the nerve that drives it.

Most students remember the Auricularis Superior fastest by linking its action back to its attachments rather than memorising each fact in isolation. Once the origin and insertion make sense, the action usually follows logically.