Old and New Views of the Cortex (IMAGE) Columbia University Irving Medical Center Caption (A) Since the 1950s, the cortex has been thought to be a collection of modules, or "columns," the layers of which sequentially process information before handing it off to another column. (B) This study shows that sensory signals are instead copied to two targets (L4 and L5B) and that the upper and lower halves of the cortex are independent. The "top brain" and "bottom brain," which contain different types of cells, are able to influence behavior via completely different neural pathways. Credit Image credit: Christine Constantinople, PhD/Randy Bruno, PhD/Columbia University Medical Center Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.