Competition inhibition and critical periods of cortical plasticity

摘要

It is well established that the developmental maturation of cortical inhibition just after eye opening is necessary for the opening of a critical period of experience-dependent ocular dominance plasticity. How inhibition accomplishes this, however, is not clear. Here I outline new hypotheses on the roles of somatic and dendritic inhibition in the opening and closure of critical periods, and their roles in the competitive processes therein.