The neocortex (Latin for “new bark” or “new rind”) is part of the cerebral cortex of the mammalian brain.  In humans, it is involved in “higher functions” such as sensory perception, generation of motor commands, spatial reasoning, conscious thought and language.

In an overview of the structure of the mammalian neocortex, Professor of Neurobiology, Clay Reid explains how the mammalian cortex is organized in a hierarchy, describing the columnar principle and canonical microcircuits.

This full-length, undergraduate-level lecture is the third of a 12-part series entitled Coding & Vision 101, produced by the Allen Institute for Brain Science as an educational resource for the community.