Abstract
In the last few decades, a lot of data have been collected on
the primate visual system, enough to guide the building of
a mechanistic model, at least of input layers. There is also
ample evidence that knowledge of the visual cortex will offer
a window into other cortical areas, about which much less is
known. In these two lectures I would like to report on some
modeling work. After a little bit of neurobiological background
and an overview of the model, I will select a few topics aimed
at showcasing the flavor of different aspects of mathematical
modeling and how (simple) analytical thinking can shed light
on cortical mechanisms. I will discuss dynamics within local
circuits, nonequilibrium steady states across cortical surfaces,
and hypotheses on the origin of some cortical capabilities.