white matter

noun

: neural tissue especially of the brain and spinal cord that consists largely of myelinated nerve fibers bundled into tracts, has a whitish color, and typically underlies the cortical gray matter

Examples of white matter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Scientists at the Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Sciences found a link between drinking green tea and having a smaller volume of white matter lesions on the brain. —Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025

In contrast to the reductions in gray matter, the study noted increases in white matter microstructural integrity, particularly during the first two trimesters of pregnancy. —William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025

Players more likely to head the ball showed abnormalities in the white matter adjacent to the sulci – the grooves in the outer layer of the brain, essential for maximizing the cortical surface area and to separate functional brain regions. —New Atlas, 29 Nov. 2024

Soccer players who headed the ball at high levels showed abnormality of the brain's white matter adjacent to sulci, which are deep grooves in the brain's surface. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1674, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

white matter

noun

: whitish nerve tissue especially of the brain and spinal cord that consists largely of nerve fibers enclosed in a fatty material and that lies under the gray matter

Medical Definition

white matter

noun

: neural tissue especially of the brain and spinal cord that consists largely of myelinated nerve fibers bundled into tracts, has a whitish color, and typically underlies the gray matter