cortical

An outer layer of an organ. Generally used in reference to the cerebral cortex. It may be used to denote conscious thought processes, dependent upon activity in the cerebral cortex. Less frequently, it is used in reference to the adrenal cortex cerebellar cortex, cortex of a lymph node or outer layer of the crystalline lens.

References

Stedman's Medical Dictionary 27th ed, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 1999