Corrugator Supercilii

Facial Expression · Head & Neck

The Corrugator Supercilii is found among the Facial Expression muscles of the Head & Neck. It arises from Medial end of the superciliary arch of the frontal bone and attaches to Skin of the middle of the eyebrow, deep to frontalis and orbicularis oculi. Functionally, it draws the eyebrows medially and downward, producing vertical glabellar wrinkles (frowning). Innervation is provided by the Temporal and zygomatic branches of facial nerve (CN VII).

Origin, Insertion, Action & Nerve

Origin

Medial end of the superciliary arch of the frontal bone

Insertion

Skin of the middle of the eyebrow, deep to frontalis and orbicularis oculi

Action

Draws the eyebrows medially and downward, producing vertical glabellar wrinkles (frowning)

Nerve

Temporal and zygomatic branches of facial nerve (CN VII)

Attachments explained

The Corrugator Supercilii 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

Medial end of the superciliary arch of the frontal bone

Insertion

Skin of the middle of the eyebrow, deep to frontalis and orbicularis oculi

Action & function

When the Corrugator Supercilii contracts, it produces the following movement: Draws the eyebrows medially and downward, producing vertical glabellar wrinkles (frowning).

As part of the Facial Expression 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 Corrugator Supercilii receives its nerve supply from the Temporal and zygomatic branches of facial nerve (CN VII).

Because a muscle can only contract when its nerve is intact, injury to the Temporal and zygomatic branches of facial nerve can weaken or paralyse the Corrugator Supercilii, impairing the movements it normally produces (draws the eyebrows medially and downward, producing vertical glabellar wrinkles (frowning)). This is why knowing the innervation is central to localising nerve lesions in clinical practice.

How to study the Corrugator Supercilii (the OIANS method)

OIANS stands for Origin, Insertion, Action and Nerve, the four facts that uniquely define every skeletal muscle. To learn the Corrugator Supercilii, 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 Corrugator Supercilii 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.