Learning and plasticity in the human brain

我们的研究计划致力于阐明与学习和经验相关的神经变化，特别是在视觉环境中。在过去的一年里，我们专注于识别学习视觉刺激(如复杂的新奇物体)的神经变化，以及确定中枢视觉丧失(由黄斑变性引起)后大脑中的视觉处理如何改变。 我们关于学习的脑功能成像研究表明，对视觉刺激的短期学习与视觉皮质大片区域的大脑激活变化有关，但长期学习可能会导致局部脑区专门神经回路的发展。 我们对视觉剥夺的研究表明，在中央视觉丧失后，大脑会进行重组，以便大脑中通常只负责中央视觉的部分现在活跃于外围视觉。在这些发现的基础上，正在进行调查，以确定其他感觉模式的输入损失(例如，在截肢后)如何影响大脑中的神经处理，并确定大脑重组的后果。

Our research program is concerned with elucidating the neural changes associated with learning and experience, particularly in the context of vision. In the past year we have focused on identifying neural changes underlying learning of visual stimuli (such as complex novel objects) and on determining how visual processing in the brain is altered following the loss of central vision (caused by macular degeneration). Our functional brain imaging studies on learning have shown that short term learning of visual stimuli is associated with changes in brain activation across large areas of the visual cortex, but that long term learning may be lead to the development of specialized neural circuits in localized brain regions. Our research on visual deprivation has shown that following the loss of central vision, the brain reorganizes so that parts of the brain usually responsible only for central vision are now active for peripheral vision. Building on these findings, investigations are underway to determine how loss of input in other sensory modalities (for example, following the amputation of a limb) affects neural processing in the brain, and to determine the consequences of brain reorganization.