White matter dissection refers to a special anatomical technique able to reveal the subcortical organization of white matter fibers in the human or animal cadaver brain. The first studies of cerebral

white matter White matter refers to areas of the central nervous system (CNS) that are mainly made up of myelinated axons, also called tracts. Long thought to be passive tissue, white matter affects learning and brain functions, modulating the distribution ...

(WM) were described by

Galen Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus ( el, Κλαύδιος Γαληνός; September 129 – c. AD 216), often Anglicized as Galen () or Galen of Pergamon, was a Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher in the Roman Empire. Considered to be one of ...

and by the subsequent efforts of

Vesalius Andreas Vesalius (Latinized from Andries van Wezel) () was a 16th-century anatomist, physician, and author of one of the most influential books on human anatomy, ''De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem'' (''On the fabric of the human body'' '' ...

on human cadaver specimens.Clarke E, O’Malley CD. 1968. The Human Brain and Spinal Cord, A Historical Study Illustrated By Writings from Antiquity To The Twentieth Century. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. The interest for the deep anatomy of the brain pushed anatomist during centuries to create and develop different techniques for specimen preparation and dissection in order to better reveal the complex white matter architectural organization. However, the biggest impact on the dissection of white matter anatomy was made by Joseph Klingler who developed a new method for specimens preparation and dissection. This technique became more feasible and widely used due to an increased quality of dissection and surprising quality of anatomical details.Ludwig E, Klinger J. 1956. Atlas Cerebri Humani. Basel: S. Karger. Klingler developed a new method of brain fixation, by freezing already formalin-fixed brains before dissection. First, the water crystallization induced by freezing disrupts the structure of the grey matter (which has a high water content). This process made possible to peel off the cortex from the brain surface without damaging the subcortical white matter organization underneath. Second, the freezing process along the WM fibers, induced a clear separation between them facilitating the dissection by progressive peeling of the fibers. White matter fibre dissection is nowadays considered as a valuable tool to enhance our knowledge about brain connectivity, and has been used to validate tractographic results and vice versa with good consistency between the two techniques, but also for neurosurgical training and neuroanatomical teaching.

References

{{reflist Neuroscience Neurosurgery