In cerebral cortex neurosurgery and particularly in epilepsy surgery, the recognition of individual cortical anatomic landmarks is necessary for presurgical evaluation and planning. To overcome the classical great variability in the superficial aspect of the human cerebral cortex, we have developed an original generic description of the cerebral cortex in a three-dimensional structure. The result is a generic model matching the cortical topography of each brain regardless of inter- and intra-individual variability. In this model, sulcal roots (fundi) are separated by more or less superficial annectent gyrus, and buried by operculization during the gyrification. This original generic model of the cerebral cortex enabled us to develop a mathematical methodology for the construction of a structural representation of the cortical topography from a T1-weighted three-dimensional MR image. This program can provide automatic detection and recognition of the main cortical sulci.