Cerebral Cortex, Intellectual Functions of the Brain, Learning, and Memory It is ironic that of all the arts of the brain, we know the least about the functions of the cerebral
cortex, even though it is by far the largest portion of the nervous system. But we do know the effects of
damage or specific stimulation in various portions of the cortex. In the first part of this chapter, the
known cortical functions are discussed; then basic theories of neuronal mechanisms involved in
thought processes, memory, analysis of sensory information, and so forth are presented briefly.
