Where is gray matter located in the brain

This region passes sensory information via ascending nerve signals to the brain. The front part, which is sometimes called the ventral gray horn, sends descending nerve signals governing motor activities to your autonomic nerves.

A problem with the dorsal gray horn may affect your brain's ability to interpret sensory information, while issues with the ventral gray horn interfere with your body's ability to receive motor information; paralysis, tingling, and muscle weakness are often the products of damage to the ventral gray horn. The white matter of your brain and spinal cord is composed of bundles of axons. These axons are coated with myelin, a mixture of proteins and lipids, that helps conduct nerve signals and protect the axons.

White matter's job is to conduct, process, and send nerve signals up and down the spinal cord. Damage to the white matter of your brain or spinal cord can affect your ability to move, use your sensory faculties, or react appropriately to external stimuli. Some people with damaged white matter suffer deficits in reflexive reactions. Together, the gray and white matter of your brain and spinal cord help form spinal tracts. These pathways send nerve signals from your brain to the rest of your body.

Knowing the most common tracts can help you discern the source of your injury. Those tracts include:. The reason is the fact that diseases that affect white matter also affect the blood vessels in it. As with the usual strokes, they harden and prevent nutrients and oxygen from reaching the brain regions.

The gray matter which got its name for the dark, grayish color, contains neural cell bodies. Also, it houses the axon terminals, nerve synapses, and the dendrites. The brain zones in which it prevails include the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and truncus encephali or the brain stem. It is also found in the spinal cord.

Namely, it forms a butterfly-shaped structure in its central part. The posterior part of this structure is known as the dorsal gray horn. It is especially important for passing the sensory information to the brain through the ascending nerve signals. The anterior part of this butterfly-like shape is known as the ventral gray horn. It is responsible for sending the descending nerve signals to the autonomic nerves to govern the motor activities.

Damage of the gray matter, more precisely the dorsal gray horn may result in difficulties in interpreting the sensory information. Besides, damage to the ventral gray horn prevents the normal functioning of the motor information receipt system.

These conditions result in paralysis, muscle weakness, as well as tingling sensations. The white matter is built of bundles of axons. The key feature is the myelin coating. Myelin is a structure built from a mixture of lipids and proteins. It is responsible for axon protection and conducting nerve signals to the spinal cord.

If the white matter is damaged, this can affect sensory functions, moving, and appropriate reactions to the external stimuli. Looking for the best brain supplement? CBD oil is clinically proven to help relieve mental disorders like anxiety, depression, and stress, as well as improving your mental focus and clarity. This is the best in the market and has improved the health and quality of life for people in all 50 states. To find out more about Spruce and what their incredible product can do for your health, click below.

Home About. Table of Contents. Gray vs. The gray matter regions of the CNS, the brain and spinal cord, contrast with the white matter regions. The gray matter is the areas where the actual "processing" is done whereas the white matter provides the communication between different gray matter areas and between the gray matter and the rest of the body. The neurons in the gray matter consist of neuronal cell bodies and their dendrites.

The dendrites are short protrusions that communicate with immediately neighboring neurons in the CNS. In contrast with the neurons of the white matter, gray matter neurons don't contain long axons that transmit the nerve impulses to more distant regions of the CNS. Gray matter is so-called because in section it has a gray color due to all the gray nuclei in the cells that make it up.

Gray matter involvement is detected even in the earliest stages of MS, and gray matter atrophy occurs at a faster rate than white matter atrophy early in the disease course. Gray matter involvement and in particular cortical demyelination can be extensive in MS. Gray matter pathology may occur in part independently of white matter lesion formation. A primarily gray matter-related process may be the earliest manifestation of MS. What is white matter? Is it really that simple?

Gray matter also contains: Axon tracts Glial cells Capillary blood vessels Neuropil — a mix of dendrites, unmyelinated axons, and glia White matter also contains: Oligodendrocytes — glial cells which produce myelin Astrocytes How are gray matter and white matter arranged in the CNS?

Both gray and white matter are spread throughout the human central nervous system — the brain and spinal cord. Meet The Author.