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Anatly

Head and neck anatomy

The head and neck house the brain, the special sense organs, the upper airway and digestive tract, and the vessels and nerves that connect them with the trunk. The skull protects the brain, while muscles of the face and neck move the jaw, head and skin of the face.

Use the 3D viewer on each page to see how a muscle or bone sits in relation to the surrounding skeleton, then open the full atlas to explore neighbouring structures in context.

Explore the whole body in 3D

Muscles of the head and neck

MuscleHead and neck

Sternocleidomastoid

Bones of the head and neck

BoneHead and neck

Atlas (C1)

BoneHead and neck

Axis (C2)

BoneHead and neck

Mandible

BoneHead and neck

Skull

Organs and glands of the head and neck

OrganHead and neck

Brain

OrganHead and neck

Cerebellum

Blood vessels of the head and neck

Blood vesselHead and neck

Common carotid artery

Common questions

What are the main regions of the head and neck?

Clinicians usually divide the area into the cranium, the face, and the neck. The neck is further divided into anterior and posterior triangles that contain muscles, vessels, nerves and glands.

Which bones form the skull?

The skull has a neurocranium that encloses the brain (frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, sphenoid and ethmoid bones) and a facial skeleton that includes the mandible, maxilla and zygomatic bones, among others.