The central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) can be characterised by two distinct regions – white matter and grey matter
- White matter is composed of bundles of myelinated axons which connect the various grey matter regions together
- Myelin acts as an insulator and hence nerve signals are transmitted at greater speed through white matter
- Grey matter is composed of the neuronal cell bodies and dendrites, as well as unmyelinated nerve fibres
- Grey matter functions as the regions of the brain where information is processed
Cross-Section of the Human Brain
