Editing Cerebral cortex (section)

{{Short description|Outer layer of the cerebrum of the mammalian brain}}
{{For-multi|the scientific journal|Cerebral Cortex (journal)|the cerebellar cortex|Cerebellum#Gross anatomy}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
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{{Infobox brain
| Name            = Cerebral cortex
| Latin           = cortex cerebri
| Image           = Cerebral cortex, side view.svg| 
| Caption         = The [[Sulcus (neuroanatomy)|sulci]] and [[Gyrus|gyri]] (folds and ridges) of the cortex
| Image2          = Blausen 0103 Brain Sensory&Motor.png
| Caption2        = Motor and sensory areas of the cerebral cortex
| IsPartOf        = [[Cerebrum]]
| Components      =
| Artery          =
| Vein            =
| Acronym         =
}}

The '''cerebral cortex''', also known as the '''cerebral mantle''',<ref name="free">{{cite web |title=cerebral mantle |url=https://www.thefreedictionary.com/cerebral+mantle |website=TheFreeDictionary.com|access-date=9 May 2024}}</ref> is the outer layer of [[neural tissue]] of the [[cerebrum]] of the [[brain]] in [[humans]] and other [[mammal]]s. It is the largest site of [[Neuron|neural integration]] in the [[central nervous system]],<ref name="Saladin"/> and plays a key role in [[attention]], [[perception]], [[awareness]], [[thought]], [[memory]], [[language]], and [[consciousness]].

The six-layered [[neocortex]] makes up approximately 90% of the [[Cortex (anatomy)|cortex]], with the [[allocortex]] making up the remainder.<ref name="Strominger">{{cite book | vauthors = Strominger NL, Demarest RJ, Laemle LB |title=Noback's Human Nervous System | edition = Seventh |chapter=Cerebral Cortex |publisher=Humana Press |pages=429–451 |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-1-61779-779-8_25 |date=2012 |isbn=978-1-61779-778-1}}</ref> The cortex is divided into left and right parts by the [[longitudinal fissure]], which separates the two [[cerebral hemisphere]]s that are joined beneath the cortex by the [[corpus callosum]] and other [[commissural fibers]]. In most mammals, apart from small mammals that have small brains, the cerebral cortex is folded, providing a greater surface area in the confined volume of the [[neurocranium|cranium]]. Apart from minimising brain and cranial volume, [[gyrification|cortical folding]] is crucial for the [[Neural circuit|brain circuitry]] and its functional organisation.<ref name="Shipp_2007"/> In mammals with small brains, there is no folding and the cortex is smooth.<ref name="embo">{{cite journal | vauthors = Fernández V, Llinares-Benadero C, Borrell V | title = Cerebral cortex expansion and folding: what have we learned? | journal = The EMBO Journal | volume = 35 | issue = 10 | pages = 1021–1044 | date = May 2016 | pmid = 27056680 | pmc = 4868950 | doi = 10.15252/embj.201593701 }}</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite journal | vauthors = Rakic P | title = Evolution of the neocortex: a perspective from developmental biology | journal = Nature Reviews. Neuroscience | volume = 10 | issue = 10 | pages = 724–735 | date = October 2009 | pmid = 19763105 | pmc = 2913577 | doi = 10.1038/nrn2719 }}</ref>

A fold or ridge in the cortex is termed a [[gyrus]] (plural gyri) and a groove is termed a [[Sulcus (neuroanatomy)|sulcus]] (plural sulci). These surface convolutions appear during [[prenatal development|fetal development]] and continue to mature after birth through the process of [[gyrification]]. In the [[human brain]], the majority of the cerebral cortex is not visible from the outside, but buried in the sulci.<ref name="Principles of Neural Science">{{cite book |title=Principles of neural science |publisher=McGraw-Hill, Health Professions Division |isbn=978-0-8385-7701-1 |edition=4th |date=2000-01-05 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780838577011}}</ref> The major sulci and gyri mark the divisions of the cerebrum into the [[lobes of the brain]]. The four major lobes are the [[Frontal lobe|frontal]], [[Parietal lobe|parietal]], [[Occipital lobe|occipital]] and [[temporal lobe|temporal]] lobes. Other lobes are the [[limbic lobe]], and the [[insular cortex]] often referred to as the ''insular lobe''.

There are between 14 and 16 billion [[neuron]]s in the human cerebral cortex.<ref name="Saladin"/> These are organised into horizontal cortical layers, and radially into [[cortical column]]s and [[minicolumn]]s. Cortical areas have specific functions such as movement in the [[motor cortex]], and sight in the [[visual cortex]]. The motor cortex is primarily located in the [[Primary motor cortex|precentral gyrus]], and the visual cortex is located in the occipital lobe.