Cerebral Cortex

The cerebral cortex is the main part of the human brain. It is the part that handles memory, language, thought, and consciousness. When you see a picture of a brain, the outer layer that looks convoluted and bumpy is the cerebral cortex. It is actually a flat sheet of cells that are all bunched up around the middle parts of the brain. This folding increases the surface area; if you unfolded a human cortex, it would measure more than 4 square feet. The cortex is made up of four lobes separated from front to back and left to right. Each type of sensory input has its own place on the cortex. For example, there is a specific place where all processing related to smells happen. Muscle movements have their own spot, vision has a spot, and so on.