piriform cortex

noun

variants or less commonly pyriform cortex or piriform

ˈpir-ə-ˌfȯrm 

or pyriform

plural piriform cortices also pyriform cortices or piriform cortexes or pyriform cortexes or piriforms or pyriforms

: the part of the cerebral cortex that receives primary input from the olfactory bulb

Smells can tap memories more powerfully than any of the other senses, says Sarah Cormiea, a Johns Hopkins doctoral candidate … . She points to evidence that just reading smell-related words—for instance, pumpkin spice—will spark activity in the area of the brain that processes olfactory stimuli, the piriform cortex.

—Jill Rosen

Examples of piriform cortex in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

However, our piriform cortex is thought to be analogous to the insect mushroom body in its connectivity. —Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 2 Oct. 2024

Previous research has shown that adaptation to odors takes place in the piriform cortex. —Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 5 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

piriform cortex

noun

variants also pyriform cortex or piriform or pyriform

: the part of the cerebral cortex of the piriform lobe that receives primary input from the olfactory bulb

During brain imaging, the scientists found the primary odor-processing region of the brain (the piriform cortex) became active when people saw objects they'd originally seen with odors …

—Celeste Robb-Nicholson, Ventura County (California) Star