What term describes a bundle of nerve fibers within the central nervous system?

What term describes a bundle of nerve fibers within the central nervous system?

• A. Tract
• B. Nerve
• C. Ganglion
• D. Neuron

Answer: (A)

In the central nervous system, a bundle of nerve fibers that travel together is called a tract. Tracts connect different parts of the brain or the brain and spinal cord, forming part of the CNS’s white matter made up of myelinated axons. This differs from a nerve, which is a bundle of axons in the peripheral nervous system and is surrounded by connective tissue; a ganglion is a cluster of neuronal cell bodies, usually outside the CNS; and a neuron is a single nerve cell. So the term for a CNS bundle of nerve fibers is tract.

In the central nervous system, a bundle of nerve fibers that travel together is called a tract. Tracts connect different parts of the brain or the brain and spinal cord, forming part of the CNS’s white matter made up of myelinated axons. This differs from a nerve, which is a bundle of axons in the peripheral nervous system and is surrounded by connective tissue; a ganglion is a cluster of neuronal cell bodies, usually outside the CNS; and a neuron is a single nerve cell. So the term for a CNS bundle of nerve fibers is tract.