visual factors
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Visual and cross-modal plasticity in adult humans
Neuroplasticity is a fundamental property of the nervous system that is maximal early in life, within a specific temporal window called critical period. However, it is still unclear to which extent the plastic potential of the visual cortex is retained in adulthood. We have surprisingly revealed residual ocular dominance plasticity in adult humans by showing that short-term monocular deprivation unexpectedly boosts the deprived eye (both at the perceptual and at the neural level), reflecting homeostatic plasticity. This effect is accompanied by a decrease of GABAergic inhibition in the primary visual cortex and can be modulated by non-visual factors (motor activity and motor plasticity). Finally, we have found that cross-modal plasticity is preserved in adult normal-sighted humans, as short-term monocular deprivation can alter early visuo-tactile interactions. Taken together, these results challenge the classical view of a hard-wired adult visual cortex, indicating that homeostatic plasticity can be reactivated in adult humans.
Infant Relational Learning - Interactions with Visual and Linguistic Factors
Humans are incredible learners, a talent supported by our ability to detect and transfer relational similarities between items and events. Spotting these common relations despite perceptual differences is challenging, yet there’s evidence that this ability begins early, with infants as young as 3 months discriminating same and different (Anderson et al., 2018; Ferry et al., 2015). How? To understand the underlying mechanisms, I examine how learning outcomes in the first year correspond with changes in input and in infant age. I discuss the commonalities in this process with that seen in older children and adults, as well as differences due to interactions with other maturing processes like language and visual attention.
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