How neurons that wire together fire together

For amplifying sensory stimuli quickly and accurately, neuronal circuits require specific wiring. Some 70 years ago, the compelling idea that "neurons that fire together wire together" emerged. Yet, in computational models, neurons that wire together tend to succumb to an explosion of activity and instability not observed in neurobiology. The group of Friedemann Zenke now characterized a plausible yet straightforward mechanism that biology may use to avoid this issue. Perception is reliable and strikingly fast. For example, it would only take you a split second to recognize a cow in a photo and instantaneously be reminded of the sound that the cow makes when it moos and the smell of hay. Accomplishing this requires your brain to rapidly amplify or suppress specific signals before propagating them through numerous brain areas.