cerebral cortex vs cortex

cerebral cortex and cortex both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
cerebral cortex	Yes	No	No	No
cortex	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, cerebral cortex and cortex are synonyms defined as:

cerebral cortex and cortex: the layer of unmyelinated neurons (the grey matter) forming the cortex of the cerebrum

Other synonyms of cerebral cortex include cerebral mantle, pallium.

cerebral cortex (noun)	cortex (noun)
the layer of unmyelinated neurons (the grey matter) forming the cortex of the cerebrum	the tissue forming the outer layer of an organ or structure in plant or animal
	the layer of unmyelinated neurons (the grey matter) forming the cortex of the cerebrum
	the tissue that surrounds the lens nucleus