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Diffence between gray matter and white matter |
White matter appears white due to the presence of large amounts of myelin, a fatty protein that serves as an insulation function for signal transmission.White matter is sometimes called substantia alba. It contains myelinated axon tracts that connect different areas of grey matter in the brain and spinal cord. These myelinated axons carry nerve impulses from one neuron to another. The presence of myelin allows faster transmission of nerve signals. White matter forms a large part of the deeper brain matter and the superficial layers of the spinal cord. It connects the cortex with the deeper parts of the brain, and connects the two cerebral hemispheres through a structure called corpus callosum. White matter constitutes 60% of the brain volume where as grey matter is 40 % of the brain volume. Grey matter appears grey-brown due to the presence of neuronal cell bodies and capillaries, as well as the relative lack of myelin. Grey matter is sometimes called substantia grisea. It mainly contains cell bodies, dendrites, and synapses.grey matter is found on the surface of the cerebral and cerebellar cortices. It is also found in the deeper parts of the cerebrum, particularly the basal ganglia, thalamus, hypothalamus, and different subthalamic nuclei. |