Very common and meaningful classification of the brain structures refers to the gray and white matter diversification. In this article, we will discuss the nature of these two types of structures, their differences, significance, and functions.
Finally, we will address different conditions, diseases, and damages of the white and the gray matter, as well as its consequences. Gray matter is peculiar for containing the neuron cell bodies.
The scientific name for the neuron bodies is soma 1. White matter is specific for containing myelinated axons 1. These structures are long relays. They extend out from the neuron bodies. As their color is whiteish, these structures are called the white matter.
The color comes from a high lipid fat content in myelin. This structure connects the brain cells and is distributed in tracts or bundles. Even though both types of matter are arranged throughout our CNS, i. At a system or classification level, the division on the white and gray matter is accurate. However, there are mixed cell types. Such types exist both in white and gray matter. Therefore, things are not very black-and-white or gray-and-white , nor simple. Except for these basic differences, it is important to emphasize the contents of both of these types of matter.
Namely, the gray matter contains glial cells, axon tracts, neuropil glia, dendrites, and unmyelinated axons , as well as capillary blood vessels 1.
The white matter contains the glial cells responsible for the production of myelin the oligodendrocytes and the astrocytes 1. It is easy to detect where the gray matter concentration is the highest. Simply put, we look for the neuronal cell bodies. We know that they prevail in the cerebellum , brain stem or truncus encephali, and the cerebrum.
The majority of the neurons are located in the cerebellum 1. More precisely, it contains more than all other brain parts together. Gray matter is also present in the spinal cord. Moreover, there are regions in the CNS that have an external layer of the gray matter.
How different are they from each other? How significant, and physiologically relevant, is this divide? Read on to find out! Gray matter consists primarily of neuronal cell bodies, or soma. White matter areas of the brain mainly consist of myelinated axons, which are long relays that extend out from the soma, and which are whiteish in color due to the relatively high lipid fat content of the myelin protein that sheathes them, These form connections between brain cells, and white matter is typically distributed into bundles called tracts.
Three fiber bundles called cerebellar peduncles connect the cerebellum to the three parts of the brain stem: The midbrain, the pons, and the medulla oblongata. Damage to the cerebellum or the cerebellar peduncles is very common in multiple sclerosis MS due to the large amount of white matter in these structures. At the rear of the brain is the cerebellum.
White Matter. The white matter regions of the central nervous system CNS contrast with the gray matter regions. The white matter refers to those parts of the brain and spinal cord that are responsible for communication between the various gray matter regions and between the gray matter and the rest of the body.
In essence, the gray matter is where the processing is done and the white matter is the channels of communication. The white matter is so-called because it contains many nerve fibers or neurons that are sheathed in the white fatty insulating protein called myelin. In section, myelin is white whereas the gray matter is that color due to all the gray nuclei contained in the cells that make it up.
The white matter is found in the inner layer of the cortex, the optic nerves, the central and lower areas of the brain or brainstem, and surrounding the central shaft of gray matter in the spinal cord. The back portion of this butterfly shape is known as the posterior, sometimes called the dorsal gray horn.
This region passes sensory information via ascending nerve signals to the brain. The front part, which is sometimes called the ventral gray horn, sends descending nerve signals governing motor activities to your autonomic nerves. A problem with the dorsal gray horn may affect your brain's ability to interpret sensory information, while issues with the ventral gray horn interfere with your body's ability to receive motor information; paralysis, tingling, and muscle weakness are often the products of damage to the ventral gray horn.
The white matter of your brain and spinal cord is composed of bundles of axons. These axons are coated with myelin, a mixture of proteins and lipids, that helps conduct nerve signals and protect the axons. White matter's job is to conduct, process, and send nerve signals up and down the spinal cord. Damage to the white matter of your brain or spinal cord can affect your ability to move, use your sensory faculties, or react appropriately to external stimuli.
Some people with damaged white matter suffer deficits in reflexive reactions. Together, the gray and white matter of your brain and spinal cord help form spinal tracts. These pathways send nerve signals from your brain to the rest of your body. Knowing the most common tracts can help you discern the source of your injury.
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