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Welcome to the website of the
Southwest Virginia MS Support Group
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White Matter
The white matter regions of the Central Nervous System
contrast with the Grey Matter regions. The white matter refers
to those parts of the brain
and spinal cord that
are responsible for communication between the various grey matter regions and
between the grey matter and the rest of the body. In essence, the white matter is
where the processing is done and the white matter is the channels of
communication.
By analolgy, the grey matter is like the CPU in a computer and the
white matter is like the printed circuit board that connects it to the other parts of
the computer.
The white matter is so-called because it contains lots of nerve fibers (neurons)
that are sheathed in a white fatty insulating protein called
myelin. In section,
myelin is white whereas the grey matter is grey due to all the grey nuclei in
the cells that make it up.
Multiple Sclerosis is predominantly a disease of the
white matter in the
central nervous system. About 95% of all lesions associated with
multiple sclerosis occur in the white matter.
The white matter is found in the inner layer of the cortex, the optic
nerves, the central and lower areas of the brain (notably the
brainstem) and surrounding the central shaft of grey matter in the spinal cord.
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The White Matter and Grey (gray) Matter in the Brain
SOURCE: FoundationSurgery.com
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The Cell Structure of the Brain
SOURCE:
www.neurosurgerytoday.org
The brain is made up of two types of cells: neurons and glial cells,
also known as neuroglia or glia. The neuron is responsible for sending and
receiving nerve impulses or signals. Glial cells are non-neuronal cells
that provide support and nutrition, maintain homeostasis, form myelin, and
facilitate signal transmission in the nervous system. In the human brain,
glial cells outnumber neurons by about 50 to one. Glial cells are the most
common cells found in primary brain tumors.
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