Question

By their names, it is clear that the sternothyroid and sternohyoid muscles will do the following to the thyroid and hyoid, respectively.

a) Elevate, move posteriorly
b) Compress, depress
c) Move inferiorly, elevate
d) None of the above

Answer 1

The sternothyroid muscle depresses the thyroid cartilage and the sternohyoid muscle depresses the hyoid bone; therefore, the correct action they perform is to compress and depress, respectively.

Step-by-step explanation:

The sternothyroid and sternohyoid muscles, based on their names and actions, relate to the movement of the thyroid cartilage and hyoid bone, respectively. The sternothyroid muscle functions to depress the larynx's thyroid cartilage, while the sternohyoid muscle depresses the hyoid bone. Given this information, the correct answer to what these muscles will do to the thyroid and hyoid, respectively, is compress and depress.

This is because 'compress' refers to the action on the thyroid cartilage by the sternothyroid muscle, meaning it aids in depressing or moving it inferiorly. Similarly, 'depress' describes the action of the sternohyoid muscle on the hyoid bone, as it brings it downward relative to its resting position.