WHITE AND GREY MATTER:

White Matter: White matter is the paler tissue of the brain and the spinal cord, which mainly
consists of nerve fibres with their myelin sheaths.
Grey Matter: Grey matter is the darker tissue of the brain and the spinal cord, which mainly
consists of nerve cell bodies and branching dendrites.

COMPOSITION:
White Matter: White matter is composed of myelinated axons of the nerve cells.
Grey Matter: Grey matter composed of cell bodies, axon terminals, and dendrites.
MYELINATED AXONS:
White Matter: White matter has a large number of myelinated axons.

Grey Matter: Grey matter has fewer myelinated axons.

COLOUR:
White Matter: White matter gets its light colour due to the lipid components of the myelin.
Grey Matter: Grey matter gets its pinkish-grey colour due to the neuronal cell bodies and the
capillary blood vessels.

AXONS:
White Matter: The nerve cells in the white matter contain long axons.
Grey Matter: The nerve cells in the grey matter contain short axons.

IN THE BRAIN:
White Matter: In the brain, white matter occurs in the cortex.
Grey Matter: In the brain, grey matter occurs on the surface areas.

IN THE SPINAL CORD:

White Matter: White matter occurs on the surface of the spinal cord.
Grey Matter: Grey matter occurs inside the spinal cord.

PROPORTIONS IN THE BRAIN:

White Matter: White matter occupies 60 percent of the brain.
Grey Matter: Grey matter occupies 40 percent of the brain.

DEVELOPMENT:
White Matter: The highest development of the white matter is identified at the twenties.
Grey Matter: The highest development of the grey matter is identified at the middle age of
life.

ROLES:
White Matter: White matter transmits both sensory and motor impulses between the peripheral
nervous system and the grey matter.

Grey Matter: Grey matter processes the retrieved information from the white matter and
sends the instructions back to the effector organs through the white matter.

FUNCTION:
White Matter: White matter controls the involuntary functions of the body such as blood
pressure, heart rate, and body temperature.
Grey Matter: Grey matter controls the senses of the body such as hearing, feeling, seeing,
speech, and memory.