neocortex

American  

[nee-oh-kawr-teks] / ˌni oʊˈkɔr tɛks /

noun

• neocortices
  plural

1. the largest and evolutionarily most recent portion of the cerebral cortex, composed of complex, layered tissue, the site of most of the higher brain functions.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• neocortical
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• neocortices
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of neocortex

First recorded in 1905–10; neo- + cortex

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Compare meaning

How does neocortex compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• neocortex vs. cerebral cortex

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

neocortex neocortices

Similarly, the development of the neocortex, which is exclusively mammalian and, according to Lori Marino of the Whale Sanctuary Project, provides for “self-awareness, social cognition, some form of memory, problem solving.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Neural circuits in the neocortex are arranged as spatial maps.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026

Rather than looking at individual regions one at a time, they examined how the limbic system and neocortex vary together over evolutionary history.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026

“Horses think through energy and pictures,” said Ebsen, meaning they communicate through pure expression, one unfiltered by the neocortex.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2025

More important, a specific part of the brain of humans and other primates — the region known as the neocortex, which deals with complex thought and reasoning — is huge by mammal standards.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

"All mammals have a neocortex, but it varies in size and complexity. Human and primate neocortices have folds while, for example, mice have a completely smooth neocortex, without any creases."

From Science Daily ● Mar. 27, 2024

In all iCJD cases there was variably prominent microvacuolar change in the neocortices, deep grey nuclei and cerebellar cortex.

From Nature ● Sep. 8, 2015

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