Common brain injury terms

This section is designed to provide a glossary of terms, explaining some of the different words you might hear when reading information on, or talking about, brain injury.

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Your search results for 'Grey matter'

Basal Ganglia

Collections of grey matter in the deep areas of the brain, below the cerebral cortex. They are involved in the control of movement and injury may produce a disturbance resembling Parkinson's disease.

Grey matter

Nerve cell bodies in the brain, which have a greyish appearance and make up the cerebral cortex.

Hippocampus

A structure on the inner surface of the temporal lobes, which is made up mainly of grey matter and has an important role in memory processes. Damage to the hippocampus may lead to memory problems.

White matter

White coloured nerve tissue in the brain made up of myelin covered axons, which transmit electrical signals through the nervous system. The white matter lies underneath the grey matter of the cerebral cortex and white matter tracts travel down through the brainstem and into the spinal cord.