gray matter

Examples of gray matter in the following topics:

• Grey and White Matter

  • The basic pattern of the CNS is a central cavity surrounded by gray matter made up of neuronal cell bodies external to which is the white matter which is made up of myelinated axons.
  • The basic pattern of the CNS is a central cavity surrounded by gray matter external to which is the white matter.
  • The spinal cord exhibits this basic pattern, but the brain has additional regions of gray matter not present in the spinal cord.
  • Both the cerebrum and cerebellum have an outer additional layer of gray matter.
  • Gray matter is a major component of the central nervous system, consisting of neuronal cell bodies.  

• Spinal Cord White Matter

  • White matter is the tissue through which messages pass between different areas of gray matter within the nervous system.
  • Using a computer network as an analogy, the gray matter can be thought of as the actual computers themselves, whereas the white matter represents the network cables connecting the computers together.
  • The brain in general (and especially a child's brain) can adapt to white-matter damage by finding alternative routes that bypass the damaged white-matter areas, and can therefore maintain good connections between the various areas of gray matter.
  • Aggregates of gray matter such as the basal ganglia and brain stem nuclei are spread within the cerebral white matter.
  • "Type 1 astrocytes" had a fibroblasts appearance and resided in both gray matter and white matter.

• Subdivisions of the Nervous System

  • The nervous system is often divided into components called gray matter and white matter.
  • Gray matter, which is gray in preserved tissue but pink or light brown in living tissue, contains a relatively high proportion of neuron cell bodies.
  • White matter includes all of the nerves of the PNS and much of the interior of the brain and spinal cord.
  • Gray matter is found in clusters of neurons in the brain and spinal cord and in cortical layers that line their surfaces.
  • By convention, a cluster of neuron cell bodies in the gray matter of the brain or spinal cord is called a nucleus, whereas a cluster of neuron cell bodies in the periphery is called a ganglion.

• Medulla Oblongata

  • It is caused by a large mass of gray matter known as the inferior olivary nucleus.
  • They are caused by masses of gray matter known as the nucleus gracilis and the nucleus cuneatus.
  • It is caused by an underlying collection of gray matter known as the spinal nucleus of the trigeminal nerve.
  • The gray matter of this nucleus is covered by a layer of nerve fibers that form the spinal tract of the trigeminal nerve.

• Clusters of Neuronal Cell Bodies

  • In anatomical sections, a nucleus shows up as a region of gray matter, often bordered by white matter.

• Motor Areas

  • Buried deep in the white matter of the cerebral cortex are interconnected subcortical masses of cerebral gray matter called basal nuclei (or basal ganglia) that are involved in motor control.

• Somatic Sensory Pathways to the Cerebellum

  • The axon runs via the fila radicularia (nerve rootlets) to the dorsal horn of the gray matter.
  • Once in the deep white matter of the cerebellum, the axons recross the midline, give off collaterals to the globose and emboliform nuclei (deep cerebellar nuclei), and terminate in the cortex of the anterior lobe and vermis of the posterior lobe.

• White Matter of the Cerebrum

  • White matter is composed of myelinated axons and glia and connects distinct areas of the cortex.
  • White matter is one of the two components of the central nervous system.
  • The axons of white matter transmit signals from various grey matter areas (the locations of nerve cell bodies) of the cerebrum to each other and carry nerve impulses between neurons.
  • White matter appears white in this dissected human brain, while gray matter appears darker.
  • White matter is composed largely of myelinated axons.

• Pain Sensation

• Spinal Cord Grey Matter and Spinal Roots

  • The grey matter of the spinal cord contains neuronal cell bodies, dendrites, axons, and nerve synapeses.
  • Damage to the grey matter (eg, the ventral gray horn) may lead to tingling and muscle weakness.
  • Projections of the grey matter (the "wings") are called horns.
  • Together, the grey horns and the grey commissure form the H-shaped grey matter.
  • Describe the grey matter and spinal roots of the spinal cord