Cervical branch of the facial nerve

The cervical branch of the facial nerve is a nerve in the neck. It is a branch of the facial nerve (VII). It supplies the platysma muscle, among other functions.

Cervical branch of the facial nerve
Plan of the facial and intermediate nerves and their communication with other nerves. (Labeled at center bottom, as "Cervical".)
The nerves of the scalp, face, and side of neck. (Cervical labeled at center, in dark region under jaw.)
Details
From	Facial nerve
Innervates	Platysma muscle
Identifiers
Latin	ramus colli nervi facialis
TA98	A14.2.01.114
TA2	6306
FMA	53396
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy [edit on Wikidata]

Structure

The cervical branch of the facial nerve is a branch of the facial nerve (VII). It runs forward beneath the platysma muscle, and forms a series of arches across the side of the neck over the suprahyoid region. One branch descends to join the cervical cutaneous nerve from the cervical plexus.

Function

The lateral part of the cervical branch of the facial nerve supplies the platysma muscle.^[1][2]

Additional images

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  Lateral head anatomy detail
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  Lateral head anatomy detail. Dissection the newborn
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  Lateral head anatomy detail. Facial nerve dissection.