association cortex
- noun
- /əˌsoʊsiˈeɪʃən ˈkɔrˌtɛks/
- Specialized
:
corteza de asociación
- The association cortex plays a crucial role in our ability to think and plan for the future.
Examples
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That ventral prefrontal association cortex has is the only area of neocortex that projects directly to the hypothalamus.
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Researchers study the association cortex to understand how we interpret complex information.
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Damage to the association cortex can impair higher cognitive functions like reasoning and decision-making.
Synonyms
1
8.0
Part of the brain's outer layer that joins information from different senses and helps thinking
How Complex
- Specialized
8
6.4
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
6.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is compositionally predictable: a cortex that 'associates' suggests cortical areas involved in linking or integrating information, so the core meaning is derivable from the constituents. However, the precise technical nuance (i.e. contrast with primary sensory or motor cortex and the specific cognitive roles) is specialized and may not be fully inferable by a B1 learner, making the phrase only partially transparent.
Etymology
Association cortex comes from the word association, meaning 'to join', and cortex, meaning the brain's 'outer layer'. Imagine the cortex as a meeting room where sight, sound and touch bring information together, so the term means the brain areas that 'join' different senses and help with thinking, planning and understanding.