Decision making in invertebrates often relies on simple neural circuits composed of only a
few identified neurons. The relative simplicity of these circuits makes it possible to identify …

Hearing in insects serves to gain information in the context of mate finding, predator
avoidance or host localization. For these goals, the auditory pathways of insects represent …

The generation of neural action potentials (spikes) is random but nevertheless may result in
a rich statistical structure of the spike sequence. In particular, contrary to the popular renewal …

The brain is considered to use a relatively small amount of energy for its efficient information
processing. Under a severe restriction on the energy consumption, the maximization of …

Sensory pathways process behaviorally relevant signals in various contexts and therefore
have to adapt to differing background conditions. Depending on changes in signal statistics …

Five new theorems and a stochastic learning algorithm show that noise can benefit
threshold neural signal detection by reducing the probability of detection error. The first …

A general principle of sensory systems is that they adapt to prolonged stimulation by
reducing their response over time. Indeed, in many visual systems, including higher-order …

In both neuronal and calcium signaling, information is transmitted by short pulses, so-called
spikes. Although both systems share some basic principles of spike generation, integrate …

Sensory systems process stimuli that greatly vary in intensity and complexity. To maintain
efficient information transmission, neural systems need to adjust their properties to these …

Studies increasingly show that behavioral relevance alters the population representation of
sensory stimuli in the sensory cortices. However, the mechanisms underlying this behavior …