--- - |2+ Key points Normal folding of the cerebral cortex (gyrification) is fundamental for neurodevelopment. Some molecular mechanisms of gyrification during fetal development have been identified, but the impact of maternal health and the intrauterine environment has been largely overlooked. Recent evidence suggests that the intrauterine environment has a significant impact on the normal folding of the fetal cerebral cortex. This article reviews evidence for the effect of the most common intrauterine alterations on the normal development of the cortical folding in the fetus. Abstract The human brain is one of the most complex structures currently under study. Its external shape is highly convoluted, with folds and valleys over the entire surface of the cortex. Disruption of the normal pattern of folding is associated with a number of abnormal neurological outcomes, some serious for the individual. Most of our knowledge of the normal development and folding of the cerebral cortex (gyrification) focuses on the internal, biological (i.e. genetically‐driven) mechanisms of the brain that drive gyrification. However, the impact of an adverse intrauterine and maternal physiological environment on cortical folding during fetal development has been understudied. Accumulating evidence suggests that the state of the intrauterine and maternal environment can have a significant impact on gyrification of the fetal cerebral cortex. This review summarises our current knowledge of how development in a suboptimal intrauterine and maternal environment can affect the normal development of the folded cerebral cortex. Common pregnancy‐related conditions such as intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), preterm birth, hypoxia, maternal/fetal infections, and multiple fetuses, can have an impact on the normal development and folding of the cerebral cortex This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved - The Journal of Physiology, Volume 0, Issue ja, -Not available-.