  The Wilson-Cowan equations represent a landmark in the history of
computational neuroscience. Among the insights Wilson and Cowan offered for
neuroscience, they crystallized an approach to modeling neural dynamics and
brain function. Although their iconic equations are used in various guises
today, the ideas that led to their formulation and the relationship to other
approaches are not well known. Here, we give a little context to some of the
biological and theoretical concepts that lead to the Wilson-Cowan equations and
discuss how to extend beyond them.
