You have heard everything is not black or white... Well in your brain everything is gray and white.

Brain Science:

We have talked a lot about how the brain works. For example, like pulses moving across brain nerve dendrites and how that makes pathways of thought. What we have not done is talk about the color of the brain. We will do that now:The central nervous system (CNS) consists of the brain and spinal cord. Neurons are the main cell component of the CNS, and they arrange themselves in specific ways to create both the structure and function seen within the CNS. The specific arrangement of neurons leads to color differences within the brain and spinal cord, leading to regions termed gray matter and white matter. White matter is caused by the presence of myelin, a fatty covering on the axons ( axons are the elongated stems of brain cells that sprout dendrites) of neurons. Gray matter lacks myelin, which gives this tissue a darker, grayish appearance. Alongside structural differences, gray and white matter have specific, separate functions. Gray matter in the cerebrum creates the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for our conscious perception of movement, sensation, and association between the two. White matter in the cerebrum functions to connect areas of the same or different hemispheres of the brain, as well as communicate with the spinal cord. Gray matter exists on the outer layer or cortex of the brain. The cortex is the storage area of the brain. White matter exists on the inner core of brain. A White matter analogy would be the wires that carry electricity. As wires connect up circuit components such as switches, lights etc.,white cells connect stored memories in the brain and spine. White matter then are the cells that communicate and make possible the transfer of information connected through sensory areas throughout the brain and into the spine. The spine also contains white and gray matter.

Brain facts:

• 40% of brian is gray matter. 60% is white matter.

• White matter plays an important role in learning and cognition.

• a little review: Here again we will use the tree as an analogy. A brain cell has a center nucleus that retains impulses, for our analogy the tree trunk of the cell, it also has a stem that is elongated and carries impulses as a tree limb connects a tree trunk to branches and leaves. That stem is called a axion. The axion sprouts branches and leaves called dendrites. Just as the leaves communicate across the air dendrites communicate across nerves through what are called synapsis.Taus are the proteins within the axion that transfer impulse coming from the synapsis and going to nucleus. Taus are in the form of a flowing stream unless disrupted.

• White matter cells have especially elongated axions. these elongated axions are critical to the transfer of brain impulses that create body movement and coordination of body movement. In other words transforming thought into action.

So What:

We have not talked about gray and white matter before in these blogs. The number and effective use of these cells are critical to action and cognition. While we have studied issues related to problems related to tangled taus and plaques on axions we have not talked about issues with regard to the number and ratio of matter in the brain. Thats next.