White Matter
White matter is a component of the central nervous system composed of nerve fibers and supporting nerve cells (glial cells). It transmits nerve signals (stimuli) to and fro from the cerebrum and lower centers of brain. It is called white matter because it stains lighter than its counterpart, the grey matter.
read more Cerebellum CerebrumCervical LumbarMedulla Oblongata Pons
Spinal Cord Temporal Lobe SacralThoracic Axon Axon TerminalsDendrite Myelin Sheath Nucleus Pulposus Gray Matter
Spinal Nerve White Matter Corpus CallosumFrontal LobeHypothalamus Occipital Lobe Parietal Lobe Thalamus Cervical Vertebrae Brain Neuron
White Matter
White matter is made up of axons (nerve fibers) that connect various regions of the brain (grey matter). The axons are myelinated, i.e. they have a wrapping of myelin sheath around it. The white matter in brain is on the inner side and grey matter on the outer side. It is the other way around in the spinal cord with the grey matter on the inner aspect and white matter on the outer side. Using computer network as an analogy, we can say that if the computers are grey matters then the cables connecting these computers are the white matters. White matter works in the same fashion and transmits information between different regions of the nervous system as the cables in a computer network. The inflammation of the myelin sheath of axons cause a disease called Multiple Sclerosis. It is the most common disease of the white matter. Changes in the white matter also cause other neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. Injuries to the white matter are usually reversible.
STRUCTURE
FUNCTIONS
CLINICAL IMPORTANCE
Report Error
