What are the physiological consequences of this co-occurrence of excitation and inhibition; i.e. why should the cortex simultaneously push on the accelerator and on the brake? What cortical circuits regulate the relative magnitude of these two opposing forces and their spatial and temporal relation? The combination of these two synaptic conductances, by impacting the membrane potential and input resistance of the neuron, plays a fundamental role in regulating neuronal output. In other words, these two conductances together govern the computations performed by cortical neurons. Ultimately, the relative strength of these two conductances and their temporal relationship orchestrate cortical function in space and time.
