Final answer:
The outermost layer of the brain is the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for higher-order brain functions and communication between the two hemispheres via the corpus callosum.
Step-by-step explanation:
The outermost layer of the brain is called the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex is a thick layer of nervous system tissue that is folded into hills known as gyri and valleys called sulci.
It is comprised of two hemispheres, the right and the left, which are separated by a large sulcus. The hemispheres communicate with each other through a thick fiber bundle called the corpus callosum. The cerebral cortex is responsible for various higher-order brain functions such as memory, emotion, and consciousness.