Gray matter

Japanese: 灰白質 - かいはくしつ（英語表記）gray matter

It is where the cell bodies of nerve cells are densely packed together and form the junctions between nerves; it appears gray to the naked eye. In the spinal cord, it has an H-shape in cross section and is surrounded by white matter, a collection of nerve fibers. In the cerebrum and cerebellum, it surrounds the white matter as the cortex, while in the brain stem it also appears as a mass within the white matter, serving as a relay point for information sent from various regions of the body. This is called the nucleus. Gray matter is found in the central nervous system of vertebrates, and is most well developed in humans.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

神経細胞の細胞体が密集し，神経相互の接合部を形成しているところで，肉眼で灰色に見える。脊髄では横断面でH字状を呈し，神経線維の集合である白質がその周囲を囲んでいる。大脳，小脳では皮質として白質を取巻く一方，脳幹などでは白質内にも塊状に現れ，体内の諸領域から送られてくる情報の中継地点となる。これは核と呼ばれる。灰白質は脊椎動物の中枢神経系にあり，人間で最もよく発達している。

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