How does surround inhibition improve the ability to locate sensory stimuli?

Surround inhibition improves the ability to locate sensory stimuli by sharpening contrast and enhancing the discrimination of a stimulus's position.1

In the nervous system, many sensory neurons exhibit centre-surround antagonism, a manifestation of lateral inhibition. In this organization, a stimulus presented in the central region of a receptive field elicits an excitatory response, while the same stimulus in the surrounding region triggers inhibitory responses.2

By inhibiting the activity of neurons in the area surrounding an excited region, the nervous system effectively suppresses background noise and accentuates the signal from the specific point of stimulation. This process creates a clear contrast between the excited center and its surroundings, allowing the brain to pinpoint the location of a stimulus with much greater precision than would be possible through simple excitation alone.12