Every time I ask this question, I feel like the answer sidesteps an actual explanation. Yes, I understand that the folded, wrinkled shape allows for more surface area. The heart of my question is WHY is that important? Like, if the outermost layer of the brain is important, why couldn’t it just be a thicker layer instead of just squishing more outermost layer into a wrinkled shape?
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The reason the out later is folded and not wrinkled is the need for space. That layer is largely neurons that stick out long fibers to connect to other neurons. Well, that layer absolutely could get thicker, but at a certain point, there wouldn’t be enough space to run those fibers from the outermost neurons to the interior of the brain. The solution to this is folding. Folding allows you to fit more of that outer sheet without having the cramming problem of thickness
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