cerebral cortex

noun

: the convoluted surface layer of gray matter of the cerebrum that functions chiefly in coordination of sensory and motor information compare neocortex

Examples of cerebral cortex in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Surgical robots meticulously weave these threads into the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for the brain’s higher-level processes like learning and emotion, to ensure precise placement of the electrodes. —Chris Westfall, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025

Alzheimer was interested in the normal and pathological anatomy of the brain’s cerebral cortex. —Kristen Rogers, CNN, 27 Feb. 2025

Even in this case, where a basic interpretation might be that schizophrenia is linked to the volume of the cerebral cortex, the answer is not that straightforward. —Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 26 Feb. 2025

Recent studies suggest that brain injuries disconnecting the thalamus—a region that relays movement signals and sensory information between the body and brain—from the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for higher-level cognitive functioning, may be responsible for the condition. —Jan Claassen, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cerebral cortex

• neocortex
• vortex

Medical Definition

cerebral cortex

noun

: the convoluted surface layer of gray matter of the cerebrum that functions chiefly in coordination of sensory and motor information

called also pallium

see neocortex