On Dec 7, 12:42 pm, "Zhicheng Lin" <zhicheng... from gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi all,
>> I sometimes find it confusing whether to add "the" before brain terminology.
> For example, people usually use "the amygdala", " the *superior colliculus*",
> but its less clear as to say "primary visual cortex" or "the primary visual
> cortex" (I find that both are used). Any idea on this issue? Many thanks.
>> Zhicheng Lin
>
It all depends on whether you are using the terms as "count nouns" or
"mass nouns" and it can be quite subtle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count_nounhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_noun
For example, as mass nouns your might say "Cortex [amygdala] was
observed" meaning some amount (not countable, although possibly
measurable). As count nouns you might say "The cortex [amygdala] was
observed" meaning a countable number (e.g. just one).
--
Joe