Multi-Stage Cortical Plasticity Induced by Visual Contrast Learning

Frontiers in Neuroscience

Pan Zhang²  Ge-Tong Wang⁴  Jie Xi⁴  Jia Yang⁴  Chang-Bing Huang⁴  Wu-Li Jia⁶  Nihong Chen⁷  Yun Dai⁸  Yudong Zhang⁸ 

[1] CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China;Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, United States;Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China;Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China;Institute of Optics and Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China;School of Education Science, Huaiyin Normal University, Huaian, China;THU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China;The Key Laboratory on Adaptive Optics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China;

关键词: contrast gain;    ERP;    latency;    perceptual learning;    response gain;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fnins.2020.555701

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Perceptual learning, the improved sensitivity via repetitive practice, is a universal phenomenon in vision and its neural mechanisms remain controversial. A central question is which stage of processing is changed after training. To answer this question, we measured the contrast response functions and electroencephalography (EEG) before and after ten daily sessions of contrast detection training. Behavioral results showed that training substantially improved visual acuity and contrast sensitivity. The learning effect was significant at the trained condition and partially transferred to control conditions. Event-related potential (ERP) results showed that training reduced the latency in both early and late ERPs at the trained condition. Specifically, contrast-gain-related changes were observed in the latency of P1, N1-P2 complex, and N2, which reflects neural changes across the early, middle, and high-level sensory stages. Meanwhile, response-gain-related changes were found in the latency of N2, which indicates stimulus-independent effect in higher-level stages. In sum, our findings indicate that learning leads to changes across different processing stages and the extent of learning and transfer may depend on the specific stage of information processing.

【 授权许可】

Unknown