WHITE MATTER

= MEDULLARY SUBSTANCE

Dr. Hale Öktem

 Learning objectives

• Lists the types of nerve fibers

• Says the projections of nerve fibers
• Names the nerve fibers from the section
• Lists the parts of corpus callosum
• The white matter is
composed of myelinated
nerve fibers of different
diameters supported by
neuroglia
The nerve fibers may be classified into three groups
according to their connections:
Longitudinal cerebral fissure

Commissural fibers

• Association fibers
• Commissural fibers
• Projection fibers

Internal capsule

Projection fibers
Association fibers
 Association fibers of telencephalon
• Short association fibres
• Long association fibres

 connect various cortical regions within the same hemisphere

 • Passes around the insula
• Anterior part – Frontal lobe
Arcuate fasciculus • Posterior part – Temporal lobe
• The Wernicke area is connected to the
Broca area by the arcuate fasciculus
Lesion of arcuate fasciculus
• Conduction aphasia: Where auditory comprehension and
speech articulation are preserved, but people find it difficult to repeat
heard speech
 Superior longitudinal fasciculus

• Frontal – parietal – occipital

lobe some parts (18 and 19)
• Primary visual area and its
association area - Brodman
area 8
 Uncinate fasciculus
The uncinate fasciculus connects the first motor speech area– Broca and the gyri on the
inferior surface of the frontal lobe with the cortex of the pole of the temporal lobe
Deeper of this fasciculus- inferior occipitofrontal fasciculus
 Cingulum
• Originates from the inferior of the rostral part of corpus callosum
• The cingulum is a long, curved fasclculus lying wlthin the white matter of the cingulate gyrus
• It connects the frontal and parietal lobes with parahippocampal and adjacent temporal cortical
regions
 Inferior longitudinal fasciculus
• The inferior longitudinal fascilculus runs anteriorly from the occipital lobe, passing
lateral to the optic radiation, and is distributed to the temporal lobe.
• Occipital pole- temporal lobe and Brodmann area 18-19
 Fronto-occipital fasciculus
The frontooccipiltal fasciculus connects the frontal lobe to the occipital and temporal lobes
It is situated deep within the cerebral hemisphere and is related. to the lateral border of the
caudate nucleus
External capsule
Putamen - Claustrum
Extreme capsule
Claustrum - Insula

(by the cortico-cortical

assosiation fibers)
Repeat
 Commissural fibers
Longitudinal cerebral fissure

Commissural fibers
• Connect corresponding
regions of the two
hemispheres
• They are as follows:
 corpus callosum,
 anterior commissure,
 posterior commissure,
 fornix
 habenular commissure

Projection fibers
Association fibers
 Corpus callosum

• The corpus callosum, the largest commissure of the brain, connects the two cerebral
hemispheres.
• It lies at the bottom of the longitudinal fissure
• It is divided into the rostrum, the genu, the body, and the splenium
 Corpus callosum

*indusium griseum
* medial longitudinal stria
Corpus callosum
truncus
Forceps minor
(genu)

Forceps major
(splenium)
Some of the fibers form the roof and lateral wall of the posterior horn of the
lateral ventricle and the lateral wall of the inferior horn of the lateral ventricle;
these fibers are referred to as the tapetum.
Between the
anterior horns
of the lateral
ventricles
Anterior comissure
(olfactor bulb, amygdaloid body, anterior perforate substance
Posterior commissure.
Habenular commissure
Fornix
 Projection fibers

Internal capsule
Anterior limb
Genu
Posterior limb

Corona radiata
(radiating projection fibers
in all directions to the cerebral cortex)
Anterior limb
Anterior thalamic radiatio, frontopontine tract

Genu
Corticonuclear tract

Posterior limb
Corticospinal tract
• Superior thalamic radiatio
• Fibrae thalamoparietalis
• Frontopontine tract
• Fibrae corticorubrales
• Fasciculus subthalamicus
(originates from
globus pallidus)
Posterior limb
Crus poster,ior

Retrolentiform part (optic radiation )

Sublentiform part (acustic radiation)
 Fornix both commissural and assosiation

• The fornix is composed of myelinated nerve fibers and constitutes the

efferent system of the hippocampus that passes to the mammillary
bodies of the hypothalamus
 • Alveus
• fimbria
FORNIX • posterior columns of the fornix
• commissure of the fornix
• body of the fomix.
 • Alveus is a thin layer covering the
Fornix
ventricular surface of the
hippocampus, and then converge to
form the fimbria
• The fimbriae arch forward above
the thalamus and below the corpus
callosum to form the posterior
columns of the fornix
• The two columns come together in
the midline to form the body of the
fornix: The commissure of the
fornix consists of transverse fibers
that cross the midline from one
column to another just before the
formation of the body of the fomix
• Commissure of the fornix connect
the hippocampal formations of the
two sides
MS: MULTİPLE SCLEROSİS