cerebral cortex

noun

Definition of cerebral cortex

: 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

The occipital lobe is one of the four major lobes of the cerebral cortex, the thick outer layer of gray matter covering our noggins’ hemispheres. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Doctors cut out a large chunk of a boy’s brain—now he’s doing just fine," 1 Aug. 2018 Combing massages all of the acupoints of the head, which regulates excitement and inhibition in of the cerebral cortex. — Zoe Weiner, Allure, "Jade and Rose Quartz Combs Are The Latest Trend in Hair Care," 27 July 2018 Her doctors drilled two holes into her skull and cut or melted away two wedges of her brain’s cerebral cortex using a technique developed by James Poppen, a Lahey neurosurgeon. — Jim Carrier, STAT, "Lobotomies were once used to treat this gut disease, part of a shameful medical history," 12 June 2018 Growing up poor risks the development of a smaller cerebral cortex. — The Economist, "Does growing up poor harm brain development?," 3 May 2018 Anjum Shaik, 10, said her favorite part of the brain display was learning about the cerebral cortex and how each lobe has its own role. — Priscella Vega, latimes.com, "Kids have learning on the brains — literally — at UC Irvine conference," 24 Apr. 2018 What Zador showed me was a map of 50,000 neurons in the cerebral cortex of a mouse. — Monique Brouillette, WIRED, "New Brain Maps With Unmatched Detail May Change Neuroscience," 8 Apr. 2018 Scientists agree that most, if not all, vertebrates (as well as some invertebrates) are conscious and that a cerebral cortex as swollen as our own is not a prerequisite for a subjective experience of the world. — Ferris Jabr, Smithsonian, "It’s Official: Fish Feel Pain," 8 Jan. 2018 The elephant brain, despite being three times larger than our own, has only 5.6 billion neurons in its cerebral cortex. — Ferris Jabr, New York Times, "To Unlock the Brain’s Mysteries, Purée It," 14 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cerebral cortex.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.