neocortex

noun

neo·​cor·​tex ˌnē-ō-ˈkȯr-ˌteks 

: the large 6-layered dorsal region of the cerebral cortex that is unique to mammals

broadly : the mammalian cerebral cortex

Examples of neocortex in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Past Human brain cells made fewer genetic mistakes than Neanderthals’ Despite the fact that both species shared a similarly large neocortex, scientists still have many questions about how closely the function of their brains resembled our own. —Big Think, 24 June 2024

In addition, the project is developing AI based on the neocortex’s reliance on reference frames. —IEEE Spectrum, 17 June 2024

The human brain is very different from the brain of a lamprey, but in both species the neocortex—the outer layers of the brain—is divided into two mirror-image hemispheres. —Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 19 Aug. 2014

After three to five weeks, the team would collect PET scans of the synapses in each person’s neocortex and hippocampus. —WIRED, 26 Oct. 2023

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Neocortex, from neo- neo- + Cortex cortex; from its being the cortex of the phylogenetically most recently developed part of the brain

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

neocortex

noun

neo·​cor·​tex ˌnē-ō-ˈkȯr-ˌteks 

plural neocortices -ˈkȯrt-ə-ˌsēz  or neocortexes

: the large 6-layered dorsal region of the cerebral cortex that is unique to mammals

broadly : the mammalian cerebral cortex