Neural Plasticity and Perceptual Learning (meets with ENG BE 710)

This course explores the capacity of cortical sensory and motor maps in the adult brain to change as a result of alterations in the effectiveness of the input, direct damage, or practice. The lectures will describe and discuss (1) the physiology and anatomy underlying adult dynamics; (2) psychophysical methods and experimental paradigms that have been used to study cortical plasticity in the early stages of the sensory and motor pathways; (3) evidence for perceptual learning; and (4) biologically plausible computational models of learning. We will discuss application of functional neuroimaging to study perceptual learning and restorative plasticity in the human brain. a semester-long project is required. There will be 3 hours lecture/week and 1 hour of discussion of relevant papers and progress on the semester-long project.