White matter disease

White matter disease is damage or loss of tissue that covers nerve axons in the largest and deepest part of your brain.

This covering is made of fatty material called myelin that protects the nerve fibers and gives white matter its color.

Myelin is also responsible for enabling rapid nerve signal transmission.

When the white matter of the brain is lost, it does not recover.

White matter brain tissue helps you think fast, walk straight, and keeps you from falling.

When it becomes diseased, the myelin breaks down and the nerve signals no longer get through efficiently or sometimes at all.