What is gray matter and white matter?

Grey matter is distinguished from white matter in that it contains numerous cell bodies and relatively few myelinated axons, while white matter contains relatively few cell bodies and is composed chiefly of long-range myelinated axons. ... The colour difference arises mainly from the whiteness of myelin.

What is the function of GREY and white matter?

The grey matter also extends from the brain into the spinal cord. The grey matter creates a hornlike structure throughout the inside of the spinal cord while the white matter makes up the surrounding sections of the spinal cord. The grey matter does extend to the spinal cord to make signaling more effective.

What is the difference between white and GREY matter in the brain?

The central nervous system of the brain is made up of two kinds of tissue: grey matter and white matter. The grey matter contains the cell bodies, dendrites and the axon terminals, where all synapses are. The white matter is made up of axons, which connect different parts of grey matter to each other.

What does gray matter in the brain do?

The grey matter serves to process information in the brain. Structures within the grey matter process signals generated in the sensory organs or other areas of the grey matter. This tissue directs sensory (motor) stimuli to nerve cells in the central nervous system where synapses induce a response to the stimuli.

Is gray matter good or bad?

The gray matter changes occurred in the hippocampus, the part of the brain believed to be central to memory. It is “a structure important for healthy cognition across people's lifespan,” the study says, and is “centrally involved in many functions including spatial navigation, episodic memory and stress regulation.”

What is the role of white matter?

White matter is found in the deeper tissues of the brain (subcortical). ... Myelin gives the white matter its color. It also protects the nerve fibers from injury. Also, it improves the speed and transmission of electrical nerve signals along extensions of the nerve cells called axons.

What is GREY matter disease?

"Gray matter disease causes progressive symptoms, like fatigue and memory loss. These higher brain functions are called cognitive functions. Most MS disability actually comes from cognitive dysfunction."

What happens when you lose gray matter?

Spinal cord injury – When the axon bundles in the spinal cord are damaged, the connection between the brain and spinal cord gray matter is lost. This can cause paralysis and sensory issues, which are often permanent if neuronal bodies are damaged.

Can gray matter be increased?

To start, grey matter contains a vast majority of the brain's neuronal cell bodies. ... While grey matter can decrease with age, it is possible to increase the grey matter in the brain.

What 3 structures protect the brain?

Between the skull and brain is the meninges, which consist of three layers of tissue that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord. From the outermost layer inward they are: the dura mater, arachnoid and pia mater.

What does GREY matter mean?

1 : neural tissue especially of the brain and spinal cord that contains nerve-cell bodies as well as nerve fibers and has a brownish-gray color. 2 : brains, intellect.

Is white matter in the brain normal?

Originally, white matter disease was considered a normal, age-related change. But over the last decade, medical experts have come to understand that the presence of large areas of disease in the white matter of the brain are associated with cognitive decline and dementia in patients.

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