News tagged with white matter

MRI-based measurement helps predict vascular disease in the brain

Aortic arch pulse wave velocity, a measure of arterial stiffness, is a strong independent predictor of disease of the vessels that supply blood to the brain, according to a new study published in the June issue the journal ...

Medical research created May 23, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

White matter imaging provides insight into human and chimpanzee aging

(Medical Xpress)—The instability of "white matter" in humans may contribute to greater cognitive decline during the aging of humans compared with chimpanzees, scientists from Yerkes National Primate Research ...

Neuroscience created May 14, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Brain research shows two parents may be better than one

A team of researchers at the University of Calgary's Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) have discovered that adult brain cell production might be determined, in part, by the early parental environment. The study suggests that ...

Medical research created May 01, 2013 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (7) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Aerobic exercise may protect cognitive abilities of heavy drinkers, study finds

Aerobic exercise may help prevent and perhaps even reverse some of the brain damage associated with heavy alcohol consumption, according to a new University of Colorado Boulder study.

Addiction created Apr 16, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Personalized brain mapping technique preserves function following brain tumor surgery

Neurosurgeons can visualize important pathways in the brain using an imaging technique called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), to better adapt brain tumor surgeries and preserve language, visual and motor function while removing ...

Neuroscience created Apr 01, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Researchers link Gulf War Illness to physical changes in brain fibers that process pain

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) have found what they say is evidence that veterans who suffer from "Gulf War Illness" have physical changes in their brains not seen in unaffected individuals. Brain ...

Neuroscience created Mar 20, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Improved detection of frontotemporal degeneration may aid clinical trial efforts

A series of studies demonstrate improved detection of the second most common form of dementia, providing diagnostic specificity that clears the way for refined clinical trials testing targeted treatments. The new research ...

Neuroscience created Mar 15, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

New MRI method fingerprints tissues and diseases

A new method of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could routinely spot specific cancers, multiple sclerosis, heart disease and other maladies early, when they're most treatable, researchers at Case Western Reserve University ...

Medical research created Mar 13, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

People with MS-related memory and attention problems have signs of extensive brain damage

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have cognitive problems, or problems with memory, attention, and concentration, have more damage to areas of the brain involved in cognitive processes than people with MS who do not ...

Neuroscience created Mar 06, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Schizophrenia: A disorder of neurodevelopment and accelerated aging?

Many lines of evidence indicate that schizophrenia is a disorder of neurodevelopment. For example, genes implicated in the heritable risk for schizophrenia are also implicated in the development of nerve cells and their connections. ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Mar 06, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Computer model may help athletes and soldiers avoid brain damage and concussions

(Medical Xpress)—Concussions can occur in sports and in combat, but health experts do not know precisely which jolts, collisions and awkward head movements during these activities pose the greatest risks to the brain. To ...

Neuroscience created Mar 05, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Ultrasound reveals autism risk at birth

Low-birth-weight babies with a particular brain abnormality are at greater risk for autism, according to a new study that could provide doctors a signpost for early detection of the still poorly understood disorder.

Autism spectrum disorders created Feb 25, 2013 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

It's not just amyloid: White matter hyperintensities and Alzheimer's disease

(Medical Xpress)—New findings by Columbia researchers suggest that along with amyloid deposits, white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) may be a second necessary factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease & dementia created Feb 19, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Blood may hold clues to risk of memory problems after menopause, study finds

New Mayo Clinic research suggests that blood may hold clues to whether post-menopausal women may be at an increased risk for areas of brain damage that can lead to memory problems and possibly increased risk of stroke. The ...

Neuroscience created Feb 13, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Veterans with mild traumatic brain injury have brain abnormalities

Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), including concussion, is one of the most common types of neurological disorder, affecting approximately 1.3 million Americans annually. It has received more attention recently because of ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Feb 07, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

White matter

White matter is one of the two components of the central nervous system and consists mostly of myelinated axons. White matter tissue of the freshly cut brain appears pinkish white to the naked eye because of myelin is composed largely of lipid and a few percent of capillaries. Its white color is due to its usual preservation in formaldehyde. A 20 year-old male has around 176,000 km of myelinated axons in his brain.

The other main component of the brain is grey matter (actually pinkish tan due to blood capillaries). A third colored component found in the brain that appears darker due to higher levels of melanin in dopaminergic neurons than its nearby areas is the substantia nigra.

For more information about White matter, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.