Suboccipital nerve

The suboccipital nerve (first cervical dorsal ramus) is the dorsal primary ramus of the first cervical nerve (C1). It exits the spinal cord between the skull and the first cervical vertebra, the atlas.^[1]

Suboccipital nerve
Median sagittal section through the occipital bone and first three cervical vertebrae. (Suboccipital nerve labeled at center right.)
Details
Innervates	Rectus capitis posterior major, rectus capitis posterior minor, obliquus capitis superior, obliquus capitis inferior
Identifiers
Latin	nervus suboccipitalis
TA98	A14.2.02.007
TA2	6365
FMA	7054
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy [edit on Wikidata]

Not to be confused with Lesser occipital nerve.

It lies within the suboccipital triangle along with the vertebral artery, where the artery enters the foramen magnum.

It supplies muscles of the suboccipital triangle, the rectus capitis posterior major, obliquus capitis superior, and obliquus capitis inferior. The suboccipital nerve also innervates rectus capitis posterior minor.

See also

• Vertebral artery

Additional images

• 
  Upper part of medulla spinalis and hind- and mid-brains; posterior aspect, exposed in situ.
• 
  Suboccipital triangle