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Updated: Jun 22, 2026
11:56
Slice Patch Clamp Technique for Analyzing Learning-Induced Plasticity
Published on: November 11, 2017
Perceptual learning and adult cortical plasticity
Charles D Gilbert1, Wu Li, Valentin Piech
1Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA. gilbert@rockefeller.edu
The Journal of Physiology
|June 16, 2009
Summary
The adult visual cortex remains adaptable, enabling lifelong visual plasticity. This neural plasticity underlies perceptual learning and recovery from brain injury, demonstrating the brain
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Visual system plasticity
Background:
- The visual cortex exhibits lifelong plasticity, allowing for changes in function and circuitry.
- This neural plasticity is crucial for perceptual learning and functional recovery after central nervous system (CNS) damage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the mechanisms of experience-dependent plasticity in the visual cortex.
- To understand how short-term and long-term modifications contribute to perceptual learning.
Main Methods:
- Investigated plasticity across multiple stages of the visual pathway, including primary visual cortex.
- Examined both long-term circuit modifications and short-term neuronal dynamics.
Main Results:
- Visual cortex plasticity occurs throughout life, influencing both normal perception and recovery from damage.
- Perceptual learning involves long-term circuit changes and short-term neuronal dynamics influenced by attention and expectation.
Conclusions:
- The visual cortex is an adaptive processor, dynamically altering function based on immediate perceptual demands.
- Top-down influences like attention and expectation play a significant role in modulating visual cortical function.
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