The six-layer model remains the most accepted structural framework of the mammalian neocortex

Miles Herkenham. Laminar Organization of Thalamic Projections to the Rat Neocortex. 1980. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.7352263

Details the classic laminar organization of the mammalian neocortex into distinct layers.

Zeppilli S, Gurrola AO, Demetci P, Brann DH, Pham TM, Attey R, Zilkha N, Kimchi T, Datta SR, Singh R, Tosches MA, Crombach A, Fleischmann A. Single-cell genomics of the mouse olfactory cortex reveals contrasts with neocortex and ancestral signatures of cell type evolution.. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-025-01924-3

Compares the typical six-layered mammalian neocortex against simpler three-layered cortical areas.

Li Z, Kaur N, Santpere G, Muchnik SK, Sindhu SK, Qi C, Shibata M, Clément O, Klarić TS, de Martin X, Luria V, Cho H, Li M, Shibata A, Choi SH, Kim H, Tebbenkamp ATN, Ma S, Han W, Kim SK, Pochareddy S, Duy PQ, Xing X, Bao Y, Xu X, Gladwyn-Ng IE, Cullen HD, Paolino A, Fenlon LR, Kozulin P, Suárez R, Risgaard RD, Gulden FO, Karger A, Suzuki IK, Hirata T, Gobeske KT, Richards LJ, Sousa AMM, Heng JI, Sestan N. Adaptive evolution of gene regulatory networks in mammalian neocortex.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10226-y

Highlights the evolutionary transition from single-layered ancestral structures to the multi-layered mammalian neocortex.

Katja Heuer, Roberto Toro. Role of mechanical morphogenesis in the development and evolution of the neocortex. 2018. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/d2bgr

Refers to the outermost layer of the mammalian cerebrum as the defining structural neocortex.