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Cerebrum: Anatomical Overview I

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The main and largest component of the human brain is the cerebrum. The cerebrum consists of two main parts: the cerebral cortex, an outer layer with wrinkles or folds known as gyri and shallow grooves called sulci, and a deeper region beneath it. The cerebrum divides into two distinct hemispheres and contains five different lobes: the frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, and insula. The central sulcus separates the frontal and parietal lobes and two functionally important gyri — the...

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Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
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The cerebral cortex, a critical structure of the brain, is intricately divided into two hemispheres, each consisting of four distinct lobes: occipital, temporal, frontal, and parietal. These lobes function cooperatively to regulate various cognitive and sensory functions, forming the basis of our complex neural capabilities.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Dissecting the Non-human Primate Brain in Stereotaxic Space

Dissecting the Non-human Primate Brain in Stereotaxic Space

Published on: July 16, 2009

Humans and great apes share a large frontal cortex.

K Semendeferi¹, A Lu, N Schenker

¹Department of Anthropology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA. ksemende@ucsd.edu

Nature Neuroscience

|February 19, 2002

Summary

Human cognitive abilities are not due to a larger frontal lobe compared to great apes. Instead, differences in specific brain areas and connectivity likely explain our unique cognitive skills.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Evolutionary Biology
Comparative Anatomy

Background:

Human cognitive uniqueness is often linked to a disproportionately enlarged frontal lobe.
Previous comparisons often excluded great apes, potentially skewing understanding.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relative size of human frontal cortices compared to other great apes.
To re-evaluate the evolutionary basis of human cognitive abilities.

Main Methods:

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to compare frontal cortex sizes.
The study included living specimens of all extant hominoids.

Main Results:

Human frontal cortices were not disproportionately larger than those of great apes.
Relative frontal lobe size did not significantly differ across hominoids.

Conclusions:

The enhanced cognitive abilities of humans may stem from differences in specific cortical areas, not overall frontal lobe size.
Richer neural interconnectivity, rather than frontal lobe expansion, could underpin human cognitive specialization during hominid evolution.