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cerebral cortex
the convoluted layer of gray matter covering each cerebral hemisphere; it is the thinking and reasoning part of the brain, and the part that receives information from the senses and directs the
conscious movements of the body. On its surface, the cortex has a deep longitudinal fissure that divides it into symmetrical halves; each half is further divided by two major valleys and many shallower folds (see
sulcus and gyrus). The major folds of the cortex divide each hemisphere into four lobes: the occipital lobe at the back of the skull, the parietal lobe at the side, the frontal lobe at the forehead, and the temporal lobe at the temple.
Copyright 2007. An Elsevier publication. All rights reserved.
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