White matter is found in the deeper tissues of

the brain (subcortical). It contains nerve fibers

(axons), which are extensions of nerve .
nonneuronal cells, oligodendrocytes, which
wrap up to 150 layers of tightly compressed cell
membrane around axons.
Much like the insulation around the wires in
electrical systems, glial cells form a
membraneous sheath surrounding axons called
myelin, thereby insulating the axon. This
myelination, as it is called, can greatly increase
the speed of signals transmitted between
neurons
White matter makes up about fifty percent of
the human brain. Maturation of white matter
accompanies biological development and
undergoes the most dramatic changes during
childhood and adolescence.
White matter disease may develop with
conditions associated with aging, such as
stroke, but it can also affect young people due
to conditions such as cerebral
adrenoleukodystrophy and multiple sclerosis
(MS). Read on to learn more about white
matter disease and its symptoms, causes, and
prognosis
White matter disease may develop with
conditions associated with aging, such as
stroke, but it can also affect young people due
to conditions such as cerebral
adrenoleukodystrophy and multiple sclerosis
(MS). Read on to learn more about white
matter disease and its symptoms, causes, and
prognosis
Function. White matter is the tissue through
which messages pass between different areas
of grey matter within the central nervous
system. The white matter is white because of
the fatty substance (myelin) that surrounds the
nerve fibers (axons).
As long as the neuron cell bodies remain
healthy, axons can regrow and slowly repair
themselves.