By borrowing mathematical tools from theoretical physics, scientists have recently developed a theory that explains why the brain tissue of humans and other vertebrates is segregated into the familiar "gray matter" and "white matter."
The theory is based on the idea that maximum brain function requires a high level of interconnectivity among brain neurons but a low level of delays in the time it takes for signals to move through the brain ("conduction delays").
Based on no fewer than 62 mathematical equations and expressions, the theory ("Segregation of the Brain into Gray and White Matter: A Design Minimizing Conduction Delays") provides a possible explanation for the structure of various neurological regions including the cerebral cortex and spinal cord.
The research was carried out at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island by theoretical neuroscientist Dmitri Chklovskii and graduate student Quan Wen.
Peter Sherwood | Source: EurekAlert!
Further information: www.cshl.edu
More articles from
Health and Medicine:
Does hormone treatment predispose patients to breast cancer?
21.11.2008 | CNRS (Délégation Paris Michel-Ange)
Mechanisms of cardiovascular disease and cancer give clues to new therapies
21.11.2008 | European Science Foundation
Sustainable garden roofs developed as a new construction material
21.11.2008 | Studies and Analyses
Bees declared the winners in Earthwatch’s ‘irreplaceable species’ battle
21.11.2008 | Ecology, The Environment and Conservation
Hairspray is linked to common genital birth defect
21.11.2008 | Studies and Analyses
The Automobile – The Transition from Energy Guzzler to Power Supplier
20.11.2008 | Event News
Ministers meet to define the role of space in delivering global objectives
18.11.2008 | Event News
156th Annual Acoustical Society of America (ASA) Meeting in Miami
28.10.2008 | Event News