The cerebral cortex is primarily composed of which type of matter?

The cerebral cortex is primarily composed of gray matter, which is made up of neuronal cell bodies, dendrites, and unmyelinated axons, as well as supporting glial cells. This area of the brain is responsible for many higher-order functions such as sensory perception, cognition, and voluntary motor control.

Gray matter appears gray due to the presence of cell bodies and their associated structures, which lack the myelin that characterizes white matter. White matter, on the other hand, primarily consists of myelinated axons that form connections between different regions of the brain and the spinal cord.

Myelin sheath is a lipid-rich layer that insulates axons in white matter to facilitate faster electrical signal transmission, but it is not a component of the cerebral cortex itself. Chromatin refers to the complex of DNA and proteins in the nucleus of cells and is related to genetic material rather than the specific structure of the cortex.

Understanding the distinction between gray and white matter is crucial in the study of neuroanatomy and neurology, as it highlights the different roles these components play in brain function.