title: Adaptive switches in midbrain circuits.
abstract: In this issue of Neuron, Mysore and Knudsen (2012) describe a simple, anatomically supported circuit that can categorize stimuli into "strongest" and "others," regardless of their absolute strength. Such flexible categorization cannot be achieved by lateral inhibition alone but also requires that the inhibitory neurons reciprocally inhibit each other.
authors.affiliation: Computational Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92186, USA. sharpee@salk.edu
authors.forename: Tatyana O
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Sharpee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000166:cytology*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*