Our scientists have found the origins of the cerebral cortex.

The cerebral cortex, the "command center" that governs sensation, movement, and higher cognitive functions, where did it originate from exactly? The academic community has long held two different views: one claiming it originated from the ancient archicortex, and the other pointing to the primary sensory cortex. The latest research led by Chinese scientists has provided a surprising answer: both sides are partly correct. Researchers from the Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, led by Liu Cirong, and research groups led by Sun Yidi, in collaboration with the Huada Research Institute, have discovered that the cerebral cortex actually has two "sources" - one originating from the archicortex and the other from the primary sensory cortex, forming two opposing molecular gradients. These two gradients interact like two forces, collectively constructing the complex blueprint of the cerebral cortex. Liu Cirong stated that this discovery will help decode the distribution patterns of brain functional networks. In the future, researchers will be able to more accurately "locate" brain regions in clinical and cutting-edge research related to brain diseases diagnosis and brain-machine interfaces based on this finding. The related findings were published in the international academic journal "Science" on April 17.