Table 1. .

Typical features of outside versus inside areas of the cerebral cortex

Features	“Outside” areas	“Inside” areas
Cyto-architecture	Dense (more cells), high laminar differentiation (eulaminate), larger pyramidal projection neurons in upper layers	Sparse (more neuropil), low laminar differentiation (agranular or dysgranular types), larger pyramidal projection neurons in deep layers
Connectivity	More locally connected, projections originating mostly from upper layers	Widely connected, projections originating mostly from deep layers
Neurotransmitter receptors	Specific, more inhibitory, ionotropic	Diverse, more excitable, metabotropic
Maturation	Late prenatal formation, early myelination, truncated plasticity	Early prenatal formation, late myelination, prolonged plasticity
Functions	Sensorimotor representations, high spatiotemporal resolution	Abstract representations, coarse spatiotemporal resolution

Note. These descriptions reflect characteristic features at the extreme end points of the cortical spectrum. Intermediate areas possess the features in a more graded manner.