Oligodendrocytes form the myelin and wrap this around the axons up to 150 times.Īll the layers of myelin is tightly compressed around the axon to ensure it is protected. These types of cells are known as a glial cell, which are cells that provide support or protection to the neurons. Myelin sheath is made by the types of non-neuronal cells which are also present in the white matter, called oligodendrocytes.
Myelinated nerves can carry electrical impulses up to 100 times faster than non-myelinated nerves so if they were to be damaged, this can impact on sensory, motor, and cognitive functions. Myelin works to insulate the axons of the nerve cells to ensure a higher speed of transmission of electrical signals. Myelin sheath is a sleeve of fatty tissue that insulates the axons and gives white matter its white appearance. The axons that make up the white matter are covered in a white substance called myelin sheath. Axons are portions of the nerve cell ( neuron) that carries nerve impulses away from the cell body.Īxons are long slender-like structures that extend away from the cell body. White matter consists of millions of bundles of axons, or nerve fibers. Unlike grey matter, which peaks during child development, white matter keeps developing until the later 20s, with some areas in the CNS taking longer to develop than others. The role of white matter is to allow information to be transmitted between different areas of the grey matter within the CNS. Whilst grey matter is the tissue where the ‘processing’ takes place, the white matter is where the ‘communication’ takes place. It is also present in the spinal cord, but it instead surrounds the grey matter which is located in the center. White matter is found in the cerebrum and cerebellum subcortically. Grey matter, which makes up the other half of the brain, is the outermost layer of the brain, which consists of neuronal cell bodies and unmyelinated axons. In the brain, white matter is found beneath the grey matter, in the deeper tissues, making it subcortical. White matter is organized into tracts of axons, and also consists of glial cells which support the neurons and produce myelin. The white appearance is a result of the white-ish fatty substance which surrounds the axons, called myelin sheath.
White matter, or substantia alba, refers to neural tissue in the form of densely packed bundles of myelinated nerve fiberss, typically found in the brain and spinal cord.Īs the name suggests, white matter is white in color. White matter is located in the deep parts of the brain while gray matter makes up the outer surface of the brain.
0 kommentar(er)
