Input-gain control produces feature-specific surround suppression.

In primary visual cortex (V1), neuronal responses are sensitive to context. For example, responses to stimuli presented within the receptive field (RF) center are often suppressed by stimuli within the RF surround, and this suppression tends to be strongest when the center and surround stimuli match. We sought to identify the mechanism that gives rise to these properties of surround modulation.

Cortical magnification plus cortical plasticity equals vision?

Most approaches to visual prostheses have focused on the retina, and for good reasons. The earlier that one introduces signals into the visual system, the more one can take advantage of its prodigious computational abilities. For methods that make use of microelectrodes to introduce electrical signals, however, the limited density and volume occupying nature of the electrodes place severe limits on the image resolution that can be provided to the brain.

Song choice is modulated by female movement in Drosophila males.

Mate selection is critical to ensuring the survival of a species. In the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, genetic and anatomical studies have focused on mate recognition and courtship initiation for decades. This model system has proven to be highly amenable for the study of neural systems controlling the decision making process.