call me jaded Report post Posted March 16, 2006 In popular vernacular, the human brain is "gray matter" - the 100 billion or so nerve cell bodies that form the basis and biology of our minds, and give the brain its characteristic pinkish-gray hue. But white matters, too. "White matter" is myelin, a pale lipid or fat that envelopes the trillions of fibrous axons connecting neuron to neuron, making the brain a singular, functioning whole. While gray matter is typically credited with defining who we are, white matter tends to be described as mere "insulation." A professor of neurology at the University of California Los Angeles begs to differ. "The single biggest factor that makes us human is not just our brain, but the amount of myelin in it," says Dr. George Bartzokis. "Myelin is one of evolution's latest inventions. Vertebrates have it; invertebrates don't. And humans have more than anything else." More here: http://www.paramuspost.com/article.php/20060312140607502 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
