WHITE MATTER AND COGNITION: INSIGHTS FROM MEDICAL IMAGING

David F. Tate, Ph.D.
Instructor, Departments of Radiology and Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, Boston University Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA

Cerebral white matter is composed of bundles of myelinated axons that form the primary communication infrastructure connecting different parts of the brain.  Studies examining white matter have dramatically improved our understanding of brain/behavior relationships by elucidated significant associations between different morphometric features, cognitive function, and medical/clinical variables.  Recent advances in medical imaging have improved our ability to visualize and quantify various features of white matter and have improved our understanding of how white matter change disrupts function.  In this workshop, we will discuss the role of white matter in cognition, in vivo methods for examining white matter, as well as the relevance of such methods in improving our understanding of brain/behavior relationships.  As a result of participation in this course, the attendees should: (1) have a deeper appreciation of white matter's role in human cognition, (2) become familiar with several medical imaging methods and procedures designed to examine white matter in vivo, and (3) understand the role of neuroimaging in the study of neuropsychology.