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ANATOMY / REFERENCE GALLERY1 / 2 references
Hypoglossal nerve, cervical plexus, and their branches.
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Ansa cervicalis

Locate ansa cervicalis on this anatomical reference. Read the original plate labels to confirm the view and adjacent structures.

Zoom in, then drag to inspect. Keyboard: + / − to zoom, arrows to pan, 0 to reset. Tap the numbered markers to explore parts.

Hypoglossal nerve, cervical plexus, and their branches.

Image: Gray’s Anatomy (1918); illustrator attribution on original plate · Source / original · Public domain

Numbered markers and focused views are Mediveerse learning overlays; the original reference is linked above.

Ansa cervicalis

Nerves & ganglia

Ansa cervicalis

STRUCTURE & FUNCTION

Understand what you see.

Cervical motor loop supplying sternohyoid, sternothyroid and omohyoid.

Zoom into the original labels. Practise pointing out each structure, then explain it aloud. Diagrams are teaching references; specimen appearance and slide staining vary.

01 / IDENTIFICATION

How to recognise it.

  1. Identify by its course and target
  2. Distinguish sensory, motor and autonomic components
  3. Confirm its skull-base exit or spinal origin
02 / KEY STRUCTURES

Point them out.

Tap a number to open its reference, zoom in and locate the structure. Numbers stay the same across views. This key follows landmarks visible in the reference images.

Related features & study points (3)

Additional relations, attachments or microscopic details to revise alongside this plate. These are separate from its numbered image landmarks.

  • C1 fibres travelling with XII
  • C2–C3 inferior root
  • Infrahyoid muscles
03 / VIVA PRACTICE

Think first. Then reveal.

Say your answer aloud before opening the suggested response.

Examiner-style prompts: identify the structure, explain its relations, then answer the applied follow-up. These are revision questions, not authenticated past papers.

01Identify ansa cervicalis and give its main role.
SUGGESTED ANSWER

Identify by its course and target. Distinguish sensory, motor and autonomic components. Confirm its skull-base exit or spinal origin. Cervical motor loop supplying sternohyoid, sternothyroid and omohyoid.

02Are its superior-root fibres truly hypoglossal?
SUGGESTED ANSWER

They are C1 spinal fibres temporarily travelling with XII.

03Which nearby C1 targets are supplied outside the loop?
SUGGESTED ANSWER

Thyrohyoid and geniohyoid receive C1 fibres travelling with XII.

04Point out three important relations and explain their significance.
SUGGESTED ANSWER

C1 fibres travelling with XII; C2–C3 inferior root; Infrahyoid muscles. Cervical motor loop supplying sternohyoid, sternothyroid and omohyoid. Use the reference plate to locate the region; the relationship map organises the associations and is not drawn to scale.

Read the references.

Credited anatomical plates, microscopy and university teaching references. Individual image credits appear below the viewer. Historical plates can use older terminology; use the lesson text for current names.