White matter facts for kids
The central nervous system is like the main control center for your body. It's made of two important types of tissue: white matter and grey matter. Grey matter contains the main parts of your nerve cells, which are like tiny computers. White matter is made of the long "wires" or nerve fibres that connect these cells.
Contents
Understanding White Matter
What White Matter Looks Like
When white matter is first seen, it looks a bit pink. But if it's kept in a special liquid called formaldehyde, it turns almost white. This is why it's called "white matter"!
White matter is mostly made of something called myelinated axons. Think of axons as the long cables that carry messages in your brain. Myelin is a fatty tissue, like a protective coating around these cables. It also has tiny blood vessels called capillaries.
How White Matter Works
The myelin coating is super important. It helps to keep the electrical signals strong and moving fast along the nerve fibres. This is key for your brain to send and receive messages quickly and accurately. Imagine it like insulation around an electrical wire – it stops the signal from leaking out.
Connecting Brain Parts
White matter acts like a huge network of highways in your brain. It connects different areas of grey matter, allowing them to communicate with each other. If a part of this white matter network gets damaged, your brain is amazing! It might be able to find new routes to connect the areas that lost their original link.
White Matter in Your Spine
In your brain, white matter is usually surrounded by grey matter. But in your spine, it's the other way around! The white matter is on the outside, and the grey matter is on the inside. Here, the myelin also surrounds the nerve cells and helps messages travel quickly up and down your spine.
Other Brain Tissues
Your brain also has a third type of tissue that looks darker. It's called substantia nigra. This part of the brain is involved in feelings of pleasure and reward, and it's very important for controlling your movement.
