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

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