The cortex is partitioned into distinct lobes, each specializing in critical aspects of human experience: Cerebral Cortex: What It Is, Function & Location

The , or cerebral cortex, is the brain's outermost layer of gray matter, serving as the command center for the qualities we consider most "human," such as self-awareness, complex thought, and language . Often described as the "bark" of the brain due to its Latin root cortex , this thin layer—ranging from 2 to 4 millimeters—is extensively folded into ridges called gyri and grooves called sulci to maximize the surface area available for billions of neurons. Functional Landscapes