  We consider the effects of temporal delay in a neural feedback system with
excitation and inhibition. The topology of our model system reflects the
anatomy of the avian isthmic circuitry, a feedback structure found in all
classes of vertebrates. We show that the system is capable of performing a
`winner-take-all' selection rule for certain combinations of excitatory and
inhibitory feedback. In particular, we show that when the time delays are
sufficiently large a system with local inhibition and global excitation can
function as a `winner-take-all' network and exhibit oscillatory dynamics. We
demonstrate how the origin of the oscillations can be attributed to the finite
delays through a linear stability analysis.
