What is the cortex for kids?

Also known as gray matter, this term describes the brain’s outer layer. The cerebral cortex is involved in complex brain functions, such as language and information processing.

What are the folds of the brain called?

The cerebral cortex of higher animals, including humans, has many folds, called the gyrus (plural: “gyri”). By acquiring the gyrus in the process of evolution, it has become possible to have a large number of neurons, and thus great development of brain functions has been acquired.

What is another name for the somatosensory cortex?

somesthetic area
The somatosensory cortex is a part of your brain that receives and processes sensory information from the entire body. Other names of somatosensory cortex include somesthetic area and somatic sensory area.

What is the sulcus of the brain?

A sulcus (plural: sulci) is another name for a groove in the cerebral cortex. Each gyrus is surrounded by sulci and together, the gyri and sulci help to increase the surface area of the cerebral cortex and form brain divisions.

What is another name for the cortex?

In this page you can discover 25 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for cortex, like: rind, bark, layer, peridium, xylem, lens cortex, cerebral-cortex, cerebral mantle, pallium, medulla and cerebellum.

What is another name for cerebrum?

The cerebrum, or telencephalon, is the large upper part of the brain.

What is the outer layer of the brain called?

Three layers of protective covering called meninges surround the brain and the spinal cord. The outermost layer, the dura mater, is thick and tough. It includes two layers: The periosteal layer of the dura mater lines the inner dome of the skull (cranium) and the meningeal layer is below that.

What are the folds of the cerebellum called?

The outer layer of the cerebellum consists of fine folds called folia. Three fiber bundles called cerebellar peduncles connect the cerebellum to the three parts of the brain stem: The midbrain, the pons, and the medulla oblongata.

What somatosensory means?

Medical Definition of somatosensory : of, relating to, or being sensory activity having its origin elsewhere than in the special sense organs (as eyes and ears) and conveying information about the state of the body proper and its immediate environment somatosensory pathways.

What is the somatosensory cortex?

The primary somatosensory cortex is responsible for processing somatic sensations. These sensations arise from receptors positioned throughout the body that are responsible for detecting touch, proprioception (i.e. the position of the body in space), nociception (i.e. pain), and temperature.

What is each half of the cerebrum called?

The cerebrum is divided into two major parts: the right and left cerebral hemispheres or halves at a fissure, the deep groove down the middle. The hemispheres communicate with each other through the corpus callosum which is a bundle of fibers between the hemispheres.

What is a sulcus in the brain quizlet?

separates the cerebral hemispheres from the cerebellum. central sulcus. separates the front lobe from the parietal lobe. precentral gyrus.

What is the function of the cerebral cortex Quizlet?

The cerebral cortex is required for voluntary activities, language, speech, and multiple brain functions, such as thinking and memory. In addition to the neuron bodies, the cortex also contains endings of neurons that reach it from other parts of the brain as well as a rich network of blood vessels.

How do cortical folds in the cerebral cortex function?

Folds in the cerebral cortex in mammals are believed to be indispensable for higher brain functions but the mechanisms underlying cortical folding remain unknown.

Is neocortex a new part of the brain?

Neocortex is not a new part of the brain, as it is widely recognized as homologous to the dorsal cortex of reptiles and the hyperpallium or Wulst of birds ( Butler and Hodos, 2005; Northcutt and Kaas, 1995 ). Thus, neocortex is sometimes called isocortex to avoid the impression that it is new with mammals.

What are the three main parts of the cerebral cortex?

The cerebral cortex can be divided into three basic levels and functions: The hierarchically lowest areas are the primary visual, auditory, somatosensory, and motor cortex. The primary sensory cortex receives information through the thalamus.