concept proposed by Elkhonon Goldberg. It explains the brain organization of mental functions, in contrast to the prevailing view of the cortex as consisting of discrete functional areas.
The theory is based on the idea of a three-level hierarchy in the neocortex:
1) The first level is the primary sensory projection zones (point-by-point projection of the stimulus field on the cortical field).
2) The second level is the modal-specific parts of the associative cortex (adjacent to the primary projection zones).
3) The third level – the heteromodal associative cortex (inferior temporal cortex, inferior parietal cortex, prefrontal cortex) – is not associated with any one modality, the function is the integration of input signals coming from many modalities.
The gradient principle assumes that a gradual transition from one cognitive function to another corresponds to a continuous trajectory on the surface of the cortex.