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Updated: Aug 5, 2026
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Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning
Published on: November 2, 2012
The neural basis of perceptual learning
C D Gilbert1, M Sigman, R E Crist
1The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021, USA. gilbert@rockefeller.edu
Neuron
|September 25, 2001
Summary
Perceptual learning is a lifelong brain process where the cerebral cortex adapts to new information. This involves changes in neural codes, cortical maps, and neuronal responses, highlighting the brain
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Perception
Background:
- Perceptual learning is a continuous, lifelong process.
- It involves assimilating information from basic structures to specific patterns.
- The brain's plasticity allows for representation of learned information across the cerebral cortex.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the neural underpinnings of perceptual learning.
- To understand how the brain adapts and represents learned information.
- To investigate the role of cortical plasticity in lifelong learning.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of neural codes and their changes.
- Examination of cortical map alterations.
- Investigation of temporal dynamics in neuronal responses.
- Study of contextual modulation in neural processing.
- Exploration of top-down control mechanisms in learning.
Main Results:
- Perceptual learning involves plasticity in all areas of the cerebral cortex.
- Neural substrates include changes in cortical maps and neuronal response timing.
- Modulation of contextual influences plays a role in learning.
- Top-down control indicates interaction between multiple cortical areas.
Conclusions:
- Perceptual learning is a dynamic process involving widespread cortical plasticity.
- Neural representations are modified through changes in neural coding and processing.
- Learning is an interactive process involving top-down control across brain regions.
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