Any part of the brain that links a primary sensory area (a part of the cerebral cortex that receives primary sensory impulses) with other parts of the brain, such as memory and motor areas, and deals with the interpretation and meaning of the primary sensory inputs. For example, the auditory association area interprets a ‘moo’ sound as that coming from a cow. It is estimated that some three-quarters of the cerebral cortex is association cortex.