Grey matter (or gray matter) is a major component of the central nervous system, consisting of neuronal cell bodies, neuropil (dendrites and unmyelinated axons), glial cells (astroglia and oligodendrocytes) and capillaries. Grey matter contains neural cell bodies, in contrast to white matter, which does not and mostly contains myelinated axon tracts. The color difference arises mainly from the whiteness of myelin. In living tissue, grey matter actually has a grey-brown color, which comes from capillary blood vessels and neuronal cell bodies.
Read more about Gray Matter: Function, Distribution
Famous quotes containing the words gray and/or matter:
“Ye distant spires, ye antique towers,
That crown the wat’ry glade.”
—Thomas Gray (1716–1771)
“It does not matter what the whip is; it is none the less a whip, because you have cut thongs for it out of your own souls.”
—John Ruskin (1819–1900)