Velum
Velum (Latin for veil, and often used for some kind of membrane in the biological sciences) may refer to:
Human anatomy
- Frenulum of superior medullary velum, a slightly raised white band passing to the superior medullary velum
- Cavum veli interpositi, a condition in which the cistern of the velum interpositum becomes dilated
- Levator velum palatini muscle or levator veli palatini, the elevator muscle of the soft palate
Soft palate
The soft palate (also known as velum or muscular palate) is, in mammals, the soft tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth. The soft palate is distinguished from the hard palate at the front of the mouth in that it does not contain bone.
Structure
Muscles
The five muscles of the soft palate, play important roles in swallowing and breathing. The muscles are:
These muscles are innervated by the pharyngeal plexus via the vagus nerve, with the exception of the tensor veli palatini. The tensor veli palatini is innervated by cranial nerve 5 branch V3 (which is the mandibular division of the trigeminal cranial nerve).
Function
The soft palate is moveable, consisting of muscle fibers sheathed in mucous membrane. It is responsible for closing off the nasal passages during the act of swallowing, and also for closing off the airway. During sneezing, it protects the nasal passage by diverting a portion of the excreted substance to the mouth.
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