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Parakortex

Parakortex is a term used in neuroanatomy to describe a transitional cortical zone that lies at the boundary between the neocortex (isocortex) and the limbic allocortex. In humans and other mammals, it encompasses portions of the perirhinal and entorhinal cortices and adjacent parahippocampal areas that together form a ring around the hippocampal formation.

Anatomically, the parakortex is characterized as a transitional cortex with laminar patterns intermediate between six-layered neocortex

Functionally, the parakortex participates in higher-order sensory processing, memory encoding, and associative integration. It receives polymodal

Development and clinical relevance: The parakortex is present across mammals and may display evolutionary variation in

See also: Entorhinal cortex, Perirhinal cortex, Parahippocampal gyrus, Hippocampus, Allocortex, Isocortex.

and
the
allocortical
regions.
It
is
bordered
laterally
by
isocortex
and
medially
by
the
entorhinal
cortex
and
other
allocortical
structures;
in
some
classifications,
parts
of
the
entorhinal
and
perirhinal
cortices
are
included
within
parakortical
territory.
sensory
input
from
association
cortices
and
projects
to
the
entorhinal
cortex
and
hippocampal
formation
via
pathways
linked
to
episodic
memory
and
spatial
navigation.
extent
and
lamination.
Clinically,
regions
within
the
parakortical
area,
notably
the
entorhinal
and
perirhinal
cortices,
are
among
the
earliest
sites
of
pathology
in
Alzheimer's
disease
and
related
disorders,
with
disruption
of
memory
and
recognition
functions.