Deep White Matter Diseases

White matter forms the deep parts of the brain and the superficial regions of the spinal cord. It is made up of a fatty substance, known as myelin, surrounded by nerve fibers, called axons. White matter is surrounded by gray matter, which we commonly understand to be the surface of the brain. Its function is to help the brain send messages back and forth between the nervous system and gray matter. A number of diseases--including Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, leukodystrophy and even sociopath behavior such as pedophilia--originate in the deep white matter of the brain.

Multiple Sclerosis

• Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the deep white matter of the brain. The body's autoimmune system attacks the fatty substance, or myelin, of the white matter of the brain, compromising its ability to send messages back and forth to the central nervous system. Because the central nervous system is unable to send and receive messages a number of symptoms can occur, including paralysis and blindness. Although there is no cure for MS, a number of drug treatments are available to mitigate the symptoms or slow the progression of the disease.

Alzheimer's Disease

• Alzheimer's disease is a fatal disease that affects the white matter of the brain. According to the Alzheimer's Association, 5.3 million Americans currently suffer from the disease. The most common symptom of Alzheimer's is dementia, which is the loss of memory to the point where it inhibits an individual from participating in everyday life. Alzheimer's is the result of plaque and tangles that occur in the white matter of the brain, causing the brain cells to die. There is no cure for Alzheimer's although a number of drug treatments are available, including cholinesterase inhibitors, Vitamin E, memantine and anti-depressants.

Vascular Dementia

• Also known as multi-infarct dementia, vascular dementia is the result of cerebrovascular disease and/or focal lesions in the deep white matter of the brain. Vascular dementia results in memory loss, inattention, frequent wandering or losing one's sense of direction, lack of bladder or bowel control and emotional volubility. Although there is no cure, antiplatelet drugs and galantamine can be administered to slow the progress of vascular dementia.

Leukodystrophy

• Leukodystrophy, sometimes called metachromatic leukodystrophy, is a genetic disease affecting the brain, inhibiting the growth of white matter and causing its eventual degeneration. Babies born with leukodystrophy lack the enzyme that breaks down sulfatides, which accumulate in the white matter of the brain, eventually destroying it. Children with leukodystrophy progressively lose their ability to think and function. They will lose their ability to eat, walk, hear and/or see. There is no cure for leukodystrophy. The only treatment available thus far is a bone marrow transplant or stem cell transplant, which slows the progression of the disease.

Sociopathic Behavior

• The "Journal of Psychiatry Research" has published studies conducted by researchers the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto and Yale University, linking sociopathic tendencies, such as pedophilia, to a lack of white matter in the brain. The studies showed that the response of the white matter in the brains of pedophiles is significantly different in thought pattern than in a non-pedophile. Dr. James Cantor surmises that an inadequate response or function of white brain matter may result in deviant sociopathic behavior.