What makes the white matter in the brain white?

What makes the white matter in the brain white?

The fibers (called axons) connect nerve cells and are covered by myelin (a type of fat). The myelin is what gives white matter its white color. Myelin speeds up the signals between the cells, enabling the brain cells to quickly send and receive messages.

What do you need to know about white matter disease?

White matter disease, or leukoaraiosis, involves the degeneration of white matter in the brain. White matter is tissue that includes nerve fibers (axons), which connect nerve cells. A fatty tissue called myelin covers the axons. These axons connect the neurons of the brain and spinal cord and signal nerve cells to communicate with one another.

What is brain matter called?

The tissue called “gray matter” in the brain and spinal cord is also known as substantia grisea, and is made up of cell bodies. “White matter”, or substantia alba, is composed of nerve fibers.

What makes up the white matter of the optic nerve?

The myelin sheath that surrounds the optic nerve is made up of white matter. The central nervous system is comprised of many factors, but most important are the brain and spinal cord. White matter makes up parts of the brain and spinal cord and facilitates communication between gray matter and the rest of the body.

What function does white matter serve in the brain?

The primary function of the brain’s white matter is to provide a pathway for connecting the different areas of the brain . Should this brain matter become damaged, the brain can rewire itself and establish new nerve connections between gray and white matter.

Is there a large amount of white matter in the brain?

White matter brain disease results in the degeneration of white matter, which creates a large portion of the brain. The primary form of white matter brain disease is multiple sclerosis , which results in the destruction of the myelin sheath.

What causes an increase of white matter in brain?

Other causes can be neurological diseases that can specifically target the brain. There are also some external factors that can cause white matter changes, such as recreational drugs, inhalants, and other substances that are harmful to a person’s overall health. One common factor that causes changes in white matter is aging.

How do white matter diseases effect the brain?

White matter disease is a disease that affects the nerves that link various parts of the brain to each other and to the spinal cord. These nerves are also called white matter. White matter disease causes these areas to decline in their functionality. This disease is also referred to as leukoaraiosis.