Medulla (hair)

The medulla is the innermost layer of the

. This nearly invisible layer is the most soft and fragile, and serves as the pith or marrow of the hair. Some mammals don't have a medulla in their hair. The presence or absence of this layer and the characteristics of the medulla can aid taxonomists in identifying what taxa a hair comes from. Characteristics include whether the medulla contains air pockets as well as the histology of the medulla. ^[1]

Scientists are still uncertain about the exact role of the medulla, but they speculate that it is primarily an extension that is more prominent in depigmented (grey or white) hair .^[2]

See also

List of distinct cell types in the adult human body

References

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