doi: https://doi.org/10.5967/h5qk-nw54
The brain is fundamentally an information processing and behavioral control system. The key to achieving this role is the ability to move information about the brain in a fast, reliable, and organized fashion. The axons of neurons stand as the primary means of achieving this in the brain. However, as brains became larger and more gyrified the routes between grey matter structures became correspondingly longer and more complicated. This has required axons to form a complex network of bundles in order to maintain connectivity between distal regions, giving rise to the tissue known as “white matter”. Although the resultant architecture has been studied for hundreds of years, much is still unknown. This has hindered efforts to associate characteristics of the white matter with human behavior, development, and disorders. Here, we seek to ameliorate this.
