This tissue contains millions of nerve fibers, or axons, that connect other parts of the brain and spinal cord and signal your nerves to talk to one another.White matter is a structured network of cells which act likecables to link up communicating brain regions.
What Is White Matter In The Brain How To Prevent Or
“Why not aim for maintaining the brain of a 25-year old?”White matter, which lies beneath the gray matter cortex, is composed of millions of bundles of axons (nerve fibers) that connect neurons in different brain regions into functional circuits. The white color derives from the electrical insulation (myelin) that coats axons (see the figure ).This bold question guides Greicius’ research, as he and his team explore the connections between age and reduced brain function and how to prevent or reverse these negative effects of “normal aging.”Greicius recently conducted a study, funded by a Center on Longevity faculty seed grant, to explore a hypothesized series of connections between white matter lesions (or “hyperintensities”) in the brain and behavioral impairments. These lesions are small areas of altered brain tissue that appear in MRI scans. They are more frequently noticed in the brains of older individuals.The hypothesis suggests that white matter lesions may lead to disrupted structural connectivity within the brain along what are known as neural “tracks.” These disruptions could then lead to functional deficits, in turn contributing to behavioral impairments. Such declines in function are what many people commonly associate with old age.Greicius notes that the study produced “enough data to show that is plausible,” but that “a true answer would require a sample three times as large.” The course of the project also “helped systematize the process of identifying the location of hyperintensities,” Greicius said, something which carries useful implications for other work on changes of brain function with age.
The role of these areasUnlike what white matter does, where myelin causes the nerve impulses to be transmitted rapidly by the axons, gray matter can not make the information flowing through it go so fast. The distribution of the gray matterThe areas of the brain and spinal cord that are formed by gray matter do not form a homogeneous set, but are distributed and in some cases there is white matter between them. However, in most cases these areas are large enough that they can easily be distinguished with the naked eye.In the marrow, gray matter is found in the central and lateral part (in any of its sections, regardless of the height to which it is), but in the brain is more distributed.The cerebral cortex, for example, is composed of gray matter , but the same is true of the basal ganglia , which are located below, with the deepest and most superficial part of the cerebellum and with many other scattered areas, such as the thalamus and the hypothalamus . In qualitative terms, there are no relevant differences between the composition of white matter and that of gray matter: in both there are neuronal sums, dendrites and axons with myelin. However, there are significant differences in the quantities and proportions in which these elements are present in each of them .So, technically gray matter is not a part of the brain , but the material with which parts of the brain are built. Gray matter, also called gray matter, comprises the areas of the central nervous system in which the sums of neurons predominate (that is, the part of the neuron in which its nucleus and its “body” are located) The ramifications).The gray color of these areas contrasts with the white of the rest of the nervous system, which has that aspect because they predominate the axons of the neurons, that is, the extensions that arise from the sums and are covered by myelin , white. Even though the hypothesis remains unproven, the investigation has given researchers a strong base on which to build a comprehensive study. There is still much basic research to be done to reach Grecius’ dream of understanding what it takes to maintain a youthful brain, but the results of this study are clearly a step in the right direction.
0 kommentar(er)
