Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The cerebral cortex, also known as the cerebral mantle, [1] is the outer layer of neural tissue of the cerebrum of the brain in humans and other mammals.It is the largest site of neural integration in the central nervous system, [2] and plays a key role in attention, perception, awareness, thought, memory, language, and consciousness.
The cortex is the outer layer of the brain and is composed of up to six layers. Neurons formed in the ventricular zone migrate to their final locations in one of the six layers of the cortex. [1] The process occurs from embryonic day 10 to 17 in mice and between gestational weeks seven to 18 in humans. [2]
Neurons are the excitable cells of the brain that function by communicating with other neurons and interneurons (via synapses), in neural circuits and larger brain networks. The two main neuronal classes in the cerebral cortex are excitatory projection neurons (around 70-80%) and inhibitory interneurons (around 20–30%). [2]
Paul Broca associated regions of the brain with specific functions, in particular language in Broca's area, following work on brain-damaged patients. [250] John Hughlings Jackson described the function of the motor cortex by watching the progression of epileptic seizures through the body.
The number of neurons in the brain varies dramatically from species to species. [63] In a human, there are an estimated 10–20 billion neurons in the cerebral cortex and 55–70 billion neurons in the cerebellum. [64]
Pyramidal cells, or pyramidal neurons, are a type of multipolar neuron found in areas of the brain including the cerebral cortex, the hippocampus, and the amygdala. Pyramidal cells are the primary excitation units of the mammalian prefrontal cortex and the corticospinal tract .
In humans, the cerebral cortex contains approximately 14–16 billion neurons, [1] and the estimated number of neurons in the cerebellum is 55–70 billion. [2] Each neuron is connected by synapses to several thousand other neurons, typically communicating with one another via cytoplasmic processes known as dendrites and axons .
A cortical column is a group of neurons forming a cylindrical structure through the cerebral cortex of the brain perpendicular to the cortical surface. [1] The structure was first identified by Vernon Benjamin Mountcastle in 1957.