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Cover picture: Intrinsic signal optical imaging of the visual cortex. The cover shows a polar map obtained from the visual cortex of a developing cat. Each point in the polar map is colored according to the visual stimulus orientation that best activated it, and the brightness of each pixel reflects the strength of the response. Radiating contour lines are overlaid to highlight "pinwheel" centers in the maps. During a critical period of development, short periods of monocular deprivation cause a rapid remodeling of cortical circuits in favor of the open eye. This type of plasticity is enhanced by sleep through unknown mechanisms. However, reversible inactivation of the sleeping visual cortex inhibits this plasticity, suggesting that the activity of the sleeping brain is a critical component of this process. See the article by Jha et al., in the October 5, 2005 issue for details (pages 9266-9274).

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