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

Indeed, researchers have found that raccoon forepaws are mapped onto their cerebral cortex – the outer layer of the brain – in a similar manner as human hands. —Kelly Lambert, Fortune, 16 Jan. 2026

Ralph Fiennes plays a black-market dealer of SQUIDS — devices that tap into a wearer’s cerebral cortex and fully capture their experiences so others can relive them. —James Grebey, Vulture, 30 Dec. 2025

All addictive drugs increase dopamine in the striatum [a brain region beneath the cerebral cortex that is involved in motor and reward processing]. —Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 30 Dec. 2025

Looking at things on a biochemical level, the researchers used magnetic resonance spectroscopy to examine metabolites in the cerebral cortex. —New Atlas, 21 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1839, 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