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

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 More advanced Acheulian tool-making recruits a higher-order cognitive network that spans across a large portion of the cerebral cortex. — Shelby Putt, Smithsonian, "How Smart Were Early Humans? “Neuroarchaeology” Offers Some Answers," 8 May 2017 An autopsy revealed that a type of yeast that causes fungal infections was found in his cerebral cortex. — Kristine Phillips, Alaska Dispatch News, "‘Something is eating my brain,’ an inmate said. A lawsuit claims he was left to die.," 28 Oct. 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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about cerebral cortex

Dictionary Entries near cerebral cortex

cerebral cortex

cerebral ganglion

cerebral hemisphere

Statistics for cerebral cortex

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for cerebral cortex

The first known use of cerebral cortex was in 1926

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for cerebral cortex

cerebral cortex

noun

Medical Definition of cerebral cortex

: 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

Keep scrolling for more

Comments on cerebral cortex

What made you want to look up cerebral cortex? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

nary

not any or not one

Test Your Vocabulary

Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz

Which of the following Q-without-U words means the number five in cards or dice?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games