Cortical white matter, after years of arguably Cinderella status, is in the spotlight. With the advent of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), white matter tracts offer exciting potential for functional neuroanatomy, including in humans. From another perspective, the finding that myelination continues well into adulthood has encouraged research on the contribution of myelin to learning, cognition, and psychiatric disorders (e.g., RD Fields, TINS 2008). Thus, white matter is poised, following on vasculature and glia, to take on new importance in a wide range of nervous system functions.
Cortical white matter, after years of arguably Cinderella status, is in the spotlight. With the advent of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), white matter tracts offer exciting potential for functional neuroanatomy, including in humans. From another perspective, the finding that myelination continues well into adulthood has encouraged research on the contribution of myelin to learning, cognition, and psychiatric disorders (e.g., RD Fields, TINS 2008). Thus, white matter is poised, following on vasculature and glia, to take on new importance in a wide range of nervous system functions.
