Association Cortex

cortex associativus

Association cortex is the large part of the cerebral cortex that is neither primary sensory nor primary motor. It combines information from different senses with memory and emotion to support perception, language, planning and thought. The main areas are the prefrontal, parietotemporal and limbic association cortices.

Anatomical Data

Structure & Connections

Location	Spread across the frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobes, between and around the primary areas
Parts	Unimodal association areas Prefrontal association cortex Parietotemporal association cortex Limbic association cortex
Connections	Primary sensory and motor areas Thalamus (pulvinar and mediodorsal nuclei) Long association fibre bundles Hippocampus
Blood Supply	Anterior cerebral artery; Middle cerebral artery; Posterior cerebral artery

Biomechanics

Function & Actions

Integrates information from many sources to support recognition, language, attention, reasoning, planning and memory.

Clinical Relevance

Clinical Notes

In humans, association cortex makes up most of the cortical surface. Damage produces higher-level problems such as aphasia, agnosia, apraxia, neglect and executive dysfunction rather than simple weakness or numbness. These areas are also the main targets of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease.

Pathology

Common Injuries & Conditions

Agnosia

Failure to recognise objects, sounds or faces despite intact basic senses, after association cortex damage.

Apraxia

Inability to perform learned movements despite normal strength and understanding.

Alzheimer Disease

Neurodegeneration that predominantly affects limbic and association cortex while sparing primary areas until late.

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