the neocortex is located in the cerebral cortex of the brain.
where is the neocortex located in the brain?
the cerebral cortex
the neocortex is a part of the brain of mammals. it consists of the grey matter, or neuronal cell bodies and unmyelinated fibers, surrounding the deeper white matter (myelinated axons) in the cerebrum. the neocortex is smooth in rodents and other small mammals, whereas in primates and other larger mammals it has deep grooves and wrinkles. these folds increase the surface area of the neocortex considerably without taking up too much more volume. also, neurons within the same wrinkle have more opportunity for connectivity, while neurons in different wrinkles have less opportunity for connectivity, leading to compartmentalization of the cortex. the neocortex is divided into frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes, which perform different functions. for example, the occipital lobe contains the primary visual cortex, and the temporal lobe contains the primary auditory cortex. further subdivisions or areas of neocortex are responsible for more specific cognitive processes. the neocortex is the newest part of the cerebral cortex to evolve (hence the prefix "neo"); the other parts of the cerebral cortex are the paleocortex and archicortex, collectively known as the allocortex. in humans, 90% of the cerebral cortex is neocortex.
animal consciousness
in this set of theories, the religious mind is one consequence of a brain that is large enough to formulate religious and philosophical ideas. during human evolution, the hominid brain tripled in size, peaking 500,000 years ago. much of the brain's expansion took place in the neocortex. the cerebral neocortex is presumed to be responsible for the neuronal computations underlying complex phenomena such as perception, thought, language, attention, episodic memory and voluntary movement. according to dunbar's theory, the relative neocortex size of any species correlates with the level of social complexity of the particular species. the neocortex size correlates with a number of social variables that include social group size and complexity of mating behaviors. in chimpanzees the neocortex occupies 50% of the brain, whereas in modern humans it occupies 80% of the brain.
evolutionary origin of religions