Language
Country/Area
No result found
Brain design diagram: Do you know how many neurons there are in the cerebral cortex?
The cerebral cortex is the outer nerve tissue of the brain of humans and other mammals. This layer is not only a main place for neural integration, but also the key to managing attention, perception, consciousness, thinking, memory, language and consciousness. As the cognitive center of the brain, the cerebral cortex plays an indispensable role in our daily lives and thinking.
About 14 to 16 billion neurons operate in the cerebral cortex, which are the neurons responsible for all our advanced cognitive functions.
Structure of the cerebral cortex
The thickness of the human cerebral cortex is between 2 and 4 mm, accounting for 40% of the brain mass. About 90% of the cerebral cortex consists of six layers of neocortex, while the rest is composed of three to four layers of old cortex. Different areas of the cerebral cortex are responsible for different functions, such as the motor cortex mainly controls body movement, while the visual cortex focuses on visual perception.
Unlike small mammals, most mammals have folded cerebral cortex, which can increase the surface area of nerve tissue in a relatively limited cranial cavity space. This folding not only helps reduce the size of the brain and cranial cavity, but is also a key link in the brain circuits and functional tissues.
In many mammals, folding of the cerebral cortex and environmental stimulation are crucial to the formation of consciousness.
Functional Partitions and Neuronal Organization
Neons in the cerebral cortex are organized into layers in a horizontal direction and become cortical columns and columns in a radial manner. Such tissue structures enable each area, such as motor and visual cortex, to perform specialized functions. The connection of these neurons not only affects the function of a single layer, but also affects the coordination of the entire brain.
The six-layer tissue of layers I to VI shows the complex interconnection between neurons and has a profound impact on the efficiency of message processing.
Development of the cerebral cortex
The development of the cerebral cortex is a complex and refined process that involves the interaction between genes and environment. The neural tubes of the brain form in the early stages of embryonic development and eventually evolve into the cerebral cortex.
In this process, neural stem cells begin to differentiate into different neurons and glial cells, each cell type having its own specific role in function. Undeveloped neurons need to undergo long periods of migration and organization to form the final layered structure.
This process shows the precise organization of the nervous system from the formation of neural tubes in the early stages of the embryo until the full maturation of the cerebral cortex structure after birth.
Columns and neuron types in the cerebral cortex
The cortical columns are regarded as the most basic functional unit, with unique functions and connection patterns. These columns showed significant regional differences in information processing and each responded to different stimuli.
The cerebral cortex is divided into the neo-cort and the old cortex. The former has six layers of cells, while the latter is relatively small, with three to four layers. This layered structure is not only found in humans, but also in other mammals, showing evolutionary commonalities in the cerebral cortex.
The changes in these layers and columnar structures reflect the adaptability and evolution of different species in neural function.
End
The complexity of the cerebral cortex reveals the infrastructure of our thinking and behavior, and how do these structures further affect our consciousness and intelligence?
