title: The eye limits the brain's learning potential.
abstract: The concept of a critical period for visual development early in life during which sensory experience is essential to normal neural development is now well established. However recent evidence suggests that a limited degree of plasticity remains after this period and well into adulthood. Here, we ask the question, "what limits the degree of plasticity in adulthood?" Although this limit has been assumed to be due to neural factors, we show that the optical quality of the retinal image ultimately limits the brain potential for change. We correct the high-order aberrations (HOAs) normally present in the eye's optics using adaptive optics, and reveal a greater degree of neuronal plasticity than previously appreciated.
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei.
authors.forename: Jiawei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Yudong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Haoxin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Robert F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Hess
authors.forename: Yifeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D009799:Ocular Physiological Phenomena; D055815:Young Adult