Cremaster muscle

Information about Cremaster muscle

The cremaster muscle appears as a thin layer just superficial to the tunica vaginalis.
Latinmusculus cremaster
subject #118 414
Origin:inguinal ligament
Insertion:
Artery:Cremasteric artery
Nerve:genital branch of genitofemoral nerve
Action:raise and lower the scrotum
Dorlands/Elsevier m_22/12548678
The cremaster muscle is a muscle that covers the testis.

Contraction

Its function is to raise and lower the scrotum in order to regulate the temperature of the testis and promote spermatogenesis.

In a cool environment the cremaster draws the testis closer to the body preventing heat loss, while when it is warmer the cremaster relaxes allowing the testis to cool.

Clinically, a reflex arc can be demonstrated by lightly stroking the skin of the inner thigh downwards from the hip towards the knee. This causes the cremaster muscle on the same side to rapidly contract, raising that testicle. This so called cremasteric reflex is much more pronounced in boys than in men.

The cremaster can also be contracted voluntarily, by contracting the PC muscle (using Kegels), or by sucking in the abdomen. Not all males are capable of doing this, as it requires pelvic muscle strength.

Development and gender differences

The cremaster develops to its full extent only in males; in females it is represented by only a few muscle loops.

In human females, the cremaster muscle is smaller and is found on the round ligament.

In rats, it has been shown that cremaster muscles developed from the gubernacular bulb.

Structure

In human males, the cremaster muscle is a thin layer of skeletal muscle found in the inguinal canal and scrotum between the external and internal layers of spermatic fascia, surrounding the testis and spermatic cord. The cremaster muscle is a paired structure, there being one on each side of the body.

Anatomically, the lateral cremaster muscle originates from the internal oblique muscle, just superior to the inguinal canal, and the middle of the inguinal ligament. The medial cremaster muscle, which sometimes is absent, originates from the pubic tubercle and sometimes the lateral pubic crest. Both insert into the tunica vaginalis underneath the testis.

Innervation and vascular supply

The cremaster muscle is innervated from the genital branch of the genitofemoral nerve and supplied by the cremasteric artery.

It receives distinctly different innervation and vascular supply in comparison to the internal oblique.

Popular culture

Matthew Barney's film sequence The Cremaster Cycle used the cremaster muscle as its conceptual point of departure.

Etymology

The word is derived from the Greek verb κρεμάννυμι = "I hang (transitive)", not from Latin cremare.

Additional images


The scrotum.

The right testis, exposed by laying open the tunica vaginalis.


External links

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Muscles of torso
BACKsplenius: (capitis - cervicis) - erector spinae (iliocostalis - longissimus - spinalis) - latissimus dorsi
transversospinales: (semispinalis dorsi - semispinalis cervicis - semispinalis capitis - multifidus - rotatores) - interspinales - intertransversarii
SUBOCCIPITALrectus capitis posterior (major, minor) - obliquus capitis (inferior, superior)
CHESTintercostales (external, internal, innermost) - subcostales - transversus thoracis - levatores costarum - serratus posterior (inferior, superior) - diaphragm
ABDOMENobliques (external, internal) - transversus abdominis - rectus abdominis - pyramidalis - cremaster - quadratus lumborum
PELVISlevator ani (iliococcygeus, pubococcygeus, puborectalis) - coccygeus
PERINEUMsphincter ani (externus, internus) - superficial perineal pouch (transversus perinei superficialis - bulbospongiosus - ischiocavernosus) - deep perineal pouch (transversus perinei profundus, sphincter urethrae membranaceae)
Latin}}} 
Official status
Official language of: Vatican City
Used for official purposes, but not spoken in everyday speech
Regulated by: Opus Fundatum Latinitas
Roman Catholic Church
Language codes
ISO 639-1: la
ISO 639-2: lat
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bold refer to the diagram at right.)

In the skull (8):
  • 1-9. cranium
  • 7. mandible
''In the middle ears (6):
  • malleus
  • incus
  • stapes
In the throat (1):
  • hyoid
In the shoulder girdle (4):
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The inguinal ligament is a band running from the pubic tubercle to the anterior superior iliac spine. Its anatomy is very important for operating on hernia patients.

It forms the base of the inguinal canal which is the place from where the inguinal hernia develops.
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bold refer to the diagram at right.)

In the skull (8):
  • 1-9. cranium
  • 7. mandible
''In the middle ears (6):
  • malleus
  • incus
  • stapes
In the throat (1):
  • hyoid
In the shoulder girdle (4):
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Arteries are muscular blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart.[1] All arteries, with the exception of the pulmonary and umbilical arteries, carry oxygenated blood.

The circulatory system is extremely important for sustaining life.
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The cremasteric artery (external spermatic artery) is a branch of the Inferior epigastric artery which accompanies the spermatic cord, and supplies the Cremaster and other coverings of the cord, anastomosing with the internal spermatic artery (in the female it is very small
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  • Accessory nerve
  • Accessory obturator nerve
  • Alderman's nerve
  • Anococcygeal nerve
  • Ansa cervicalis
  • Anterior interosseous nerve
  • Anterior superior alveolar nerve
  • Aortic plexus
  • Auerbach's plexus
  • Auriculotemporal nerve
  • Axillary nerve

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The genital branch of the genitofemoral nerve (external spermatic nerve) passes outward on the Psoas major, and pierces the fascia transversalis, or passes through the abdominal inguinal ring; it then descends behind the spermatic cord to the scrotum, supplies the
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Kinesiology is the scientific study of the anatomy, physiology, and mechanics of body movement, especially in humans. [1] The word kinesiology is derived the Greek "kinesis" (motion) + the suffix -ology or -logy from the greek "logos" or "logia"(meaning a field of study).
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In some male mammals, the scrotum is a protuberance of skin and muscle containing the testicles. It is an extension of the abdomen, and is located between the penis and anus.
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Elsevier, the world's largest publisher of medical and scientific literature, forms part of the Reed Elsevier group. Based in Amsterdam, the company has substantial operations in the UK, USA and elsewhere.
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MUSCLE (multiple sequence comparison by log-expectation) is public domain, multiple sequence alignment software for protein and nucleotide sequences.
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The testicle (from Latin testis, meaning "witness",[1] plural testes) or ballock is the male generative gland in animals. This article will concentrate on mammalian testicles unless otherwise noted.
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In some male mammals, the scrotum is a protuberance of skin and muscle containing the testicles. It is an extension of the abdomen, and is located between the penis and anus.
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Spermatogenesis is the process by which male spermatogonia develop into mature spermatozoa. Spermatozoa are the mature male gametes, in many sexually reproducing organisms. Thus, spermatogenesis is the male version of gametogenesis.
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ReFLEX is a wireless protocol developed by Motorola which is used for two-way paging. It is based on the one-way FLEX protocol and comes in two variants, ReFLEX25 and ReFLEX50. Later version 2.7 of the ReFLEX protocol was released. Devices compliant with ReFLEX 2.7.
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In humans the thigh is the area between the pelvis and buttocks and the knee. Anatomically, it is part of the lower limb.

The single bone in the thigh is called the femur.
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The cremasteric reflex is a cutaneous reflex observed in human males.

This reflex is elicited by lightly stroking the superior and medial part of the thigh in a downward direction.
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The pubococcygeus muscle or PC muscle is a hammock-like muscle, found in both sexes, that stretches from the pubic bone to the coccyx (tail bone) forming the floor of the pelvic cavity and supporting the pelvic organs. It is part of the levator ani group of muscles.
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A Kegel exercise, named after Dr. Arnold Kegel, is an exercise designed to strengthen the pubococcygeus muscles. The exercises consist of the regular clenching and unclenching of the muscles which form part of the pelvic floor (sometimes called the "Kegel muscles").
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Female (♀) is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces ova (egg cells). The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon is produced by the male.
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In human anatomy, the term round ligament (or its Latin equivalent ligamentum teres) can refer to several structures:
  • Round ligament of uterus, also known as the ligamentum teres uteri
  • Round ligament of liver, also known as the

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RATS may refer to:
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  • Reverse Add Then Sort, an integer sequence (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 77, 145, 668, 1345, 6677, 13444, 55778...)

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Male (♂) refers to the sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilisation.
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Skeletal muscle is a type of striated muscle, usually attached to the skeleton. Skeletal muscles are used to create movement, by applying force to bones and joints; via contraction.
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The inguinal canal is a passage in the anterior (toward the front of the body) abdominal wall which in men conveys the spermatic cord and in women the round ligament. The inguinal canal is larger and more prominent in men.
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In some male mammals, the scrotum is a protuberance of skin and muscle containing the testicles. It is an extension of the abdomen, and is located between the penis and anus.
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The spermatic fascia is a bilayered fascia covering the testis; both layers are derived from abdominal muscle or fascia.
  • The more superficial of these two layers, the external spermatic fascia, lies deep to the skin and dartos fascia of the testes, superficial to the

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spermatic cord is the name given to the cord-like structure in males formed by the vas deferens and surrounding tissue that run from the abdomen down to each testicle.

Contents of spermatic cord


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