cortex

American  

[kawr-teks] / ˈkɔr tɛks /

noun

plural

cortices

1. Anatomy, Zoology.

   1. the outer region of an organ or structure, as the outer portion of the kidney.

   2. the cerebral cortex.

2. Botany.

   1. the portion of a stem between the epidermis and the vascular tissue; bark.

   2. any outer layer, as rind.

3. Mycology. the surface tissue layer of a fungus or lichen, composed of massed hyphal cells.

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cortex British  

/ ˈkɔːtɛks, ˈkɔːtɪkəl /

noun

1. anatomy the outer layer of any organ or part, such as the grey matter in the brain that covers the cerebrum ( cerebral cortex ) or the outer part of the kidney ( renal cortex )

2. botany

   1. the unspecialized tissue in plant stems and roots between the vascular bundles and the epidermis

   2. the outer layer of a part such as the bark of a stem

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cortex Scientific  

/ kôr′tĕks′ /

1. The outer layer of an organ or body part, such as the cerebrum or the adrenal glands.

2. The region of tissue lying between the epidermis (the outermost layer) and the vascular tissue in the roots and stems of plants. It is composed of collenchyma, parenchyma, and sclerenchyma. In roots the cortex transfers water and minerals from the epidermis to the vascular tissue, which distributes them to other parts of the plant. The cortex also provides structural support and stores food manufactured in the leaves.

3. See illustration at xylem

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Other Word Forms

• cortical adjective
• cortically adverb
• subcortex noun

Etymology

Origin of cortex

1650–60; < Latin: bark, rind, shell, husk

Example Sentences

Using this system, the scientists showed that the thalamus plays a central role in shaping specialized neural circuits within the human cerebral cortex.

From Science Daily

From a scientific perspective, warm social contact activates specialised C-tactile afferents and temperature-sensitive pathways that send signals to the insular cortex.

From Science Daily

The researchers found that how neural timescales are arranged across the cerebral cortex plays a key role in how efficiently the brain shifts between large scale patterns of activity tied to behavior.

From Science Daily

Most current treatments improve attention by increasing activity in brain circuits that control focus, especially in the prefrontal cortex.

From Science Daily

The research team analyzed gene expression data from post-mortem prefrontal cortex tissue collected from 207 AA brain donors, including 125 individuals with pathologically confirmed AD and 82 controls.

From Science Daily