The mammalian cerebral neocortex occupies the largest area of the cerebral cortex and is cytoarchitectually composed of six layers (I-VI). Inoue et al identified a zinc-finger type transcription factor, Fezf2/Fez1, which is expressed predominantly in the mouse adult neocortex. No other genes in the neocortex have been shown to date to have their expression with such high specificity. Immunohistochemistry also shows that Fezf2/Fez1 is expressed in deep layers of the neocortex.