Damage to the white matter is more predictive of cognitive impairment after brain injury
A new University of Iowa study challenges the idea that gray matter (the neurons that form the cerebral cortex) is more important than white matter (the myelin covered axons that physically connect neuronal regions) when it comes to cognitive health and function. The findings may help neurologists better predict the long-term effects of strokes and other forms of traumatic brain injury.
The most unexpected aspect of our findings was that damage to gray matter hubs of the brain that are really interconnected with other regions didn t really tell us much about how poorly people would do on cognitive tests after brain damage. On the other hand, people with damage to the densest white matter connections did much worse on those tests. This is important because both scientists and clinicians often focus almost exclusively on the role of gray matter. This study is a reminder that connections between b
Damage to white matter linked to worse cognitive outcomes after brain injury: Study ANI | Updated: May 08, 2021 08:37 IST
Washington [US], May 8 (ANI): A new University of Iowa study challenges the idea that grey matter (the neurons that form the cerebral cortex) is more important than white matter (the myelin covered axons that physically connect neuronal regions) when it comes to cognitive health and function. The findings may help neurologists better predict the long-term effects of strokes and other forms of traumatic brain injury. The most unexpected aspect of our findings was that damage to grey matter hubs of the brain that are really interconnected with other regions didn t really tell us much about how poorly people would do on cognitive tests after brain damage. On the other hand, people with damage to the densest white matter connections did much worse on those tests, explains Justin Reber, PhD, a UI postdoctoral research fellow
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VIDEO: This video is a map of edge density, a measure of the density of white matter connections between different brain regions. The color scale goes from dark purple where there. view more
Credit: Justin Reber, University of Iowa
A new University of Iowa study challenges the idea that gray matter (the neurons that form the cerebral cortex) is more important than white matter (the myelin covered axons that physically connect neuronal regions) when it comes to cognitive health and function. The findings may help neurologists better predict the long-term effects of strokes and other forms of traumatic brain injury.