Question

Cerebral cortex consists of:
A) Grey matter
B) Dura mater
C) White matter
D) Arachnoid mater

Answer 1

Hint:The cerebral cortex is an outer covering of the cerebellum and cerebrum. It is a very important layer of tissues of thickness around 3mm. The cerebral cortex is divided into two hemispheres, namely right and left hemispheres. The right and left hemispheres of the cerebral cortex are connected through corpus callosum, a thick bundle of fibers. These allow the exchange of information between two hemispheres.

Complete answer:
The cerebral cortex, the neocortex is composed of neurons, nerve fibers and neuroglia. It has six layers. Neuroglia are cells in the cerebral cortex which are non-neuron like. It means these cells do not produce electric impulses like neurons. The cerebral cortex is filled with grey matter. The cerebral cortex has folded structure to provide a large surface area so as to make space for more neurons inside the skull. The folds on the cerebral cortex are known as gyri and a groove is present between each fold known as a sulcus.

Grey matter is the major component of the central nervous system and it consists of cell bodies, dendrites, some parts of axons and other cells. When we talk about grey matter, we are referring to this grey matter. The colour of the grey matter is grey due to lack of insulation present in other parts of the brain and which gives them white appearance.
Cerebral cortex is responsible for sensation, voluntary actions, and all conscious thought processes and thus consists of grey matter.

Therefore, the correct answer is option (A).

Note:Students may get confused with the fact that their brains also contain white matter. The central nervous system contains both grey and white matter. The grey matter is interconnected to the other areas in the brain through axons and axons contain white matter.