文章的通讯作者是中国科大合肥微尺度物质科学国家实验室和生命科学学院周逸峰研究员，和美国南加州大学吕忠林教授，前者早年毕业于中国科大生物系生物物理专业，现任中国科学技术大学合肥微尺度物质科学国家实验室和生命科学学院研究员等，1983年始从事视觉神经生物学方面的研究。
知觉学习是个体从外界环境中提取信息提高能力的过程，反映了成年神经系统可塑性，研究知觉学习的细胞、分子机制，充分发掘该可塑性，可用于脑认知损伤和感知觉缺陷等患者的无创脑功能恢复**。虽然一般认为知觉学习可引起早期皮层的改变，但目前有关生理学证据很少。
为了揭示知觉学习的生理学基础，周逸峰研究员课题组与美国南加州大学吕忠林教授合作，结合心理物理学测量和麻醉状态下胞外单细胞记录的方法分别检验了猫对比度辨别训练对知觉表现和神经元的对比度敏感方程的影响。他们发现，训练显著提高了猫对其空间频率在训练空间频率附近光栅的知觉对比敏感度，且训练眼效果更强。与行为学评测一致的是，训练组猫V1区神经元的平均对比敏感度显著高于未训练组。对于所有的训练组和非训练组猫，来自单个神经元的对比敏感度方程与行为学测定的知觉的对比敏感度方程高度相关。研究结果表明，行为学测定的知觉对比敏感度改善归因于训练诱导的V1区细胞对比度增益的提高。
周逸峰研究员和美国南加州大学吕忠林教授研究组还曾在PNAS上发表视觉研究成果，他们发现**弱视患者的视觉系统可塑性高于正常人。这一发现不仅为**弱视患者提高视力带来了新希望,提供了理论和实践依据,而且对大脑皮层可塑性的研究提供了新认识。研究人员设计了一种实验,对**弱视患者和正常人进行同样的空间视觉训练。一组为屈光参差性弱视患者,一组为正常人。在测量了两组被试者的视觉对比敏感度曲线以后,研究人员对他们在各自截止空间频率下训练,训练结束以后,再测试两组被试者的对比敏感度曲线。他们发现弱视患者的对比敏感度在训练后有显著提高,而正常人经过训练后变化较小。
原文摘要：Perceptual Learning Improves Contrast Sensitivity of V1 Neurons inCatsBackgroundPerceptual learning has been documented in ***** humans over a widerange of tasks. Although the often-observed specificity of learningis generally interpreted as evidence for training-inducedplasticity in early cortical areas, physiological evidence fortraining-induced changes in early visual cortical areas is modest,despite reports of learning-induced changes of cortical activitiesin fMRI studies. To reveal the physiological bases of perceptuallearning, we combined psychophysical measurements withextracellular single-unit recording under anesthetized preparationsand examined the effects of training in grating orientationidentification on both perceptual and neuronal contrast sensitivityfunctions of cats.ResultsWe have found that training significantly improved perceptualcontrast sensitivity of the cats to gratings with spatialfrequencies near the trained spatial frequency, with strongereffects in the trained eye. Consistent with behavioral assessments,the mean contrast sensitivity of neurons recorded from V1 of thetrained cats was significantly higher than that of neurons recordedfrom the untrained cats. Furthermore, in the trained cats, thecontrast sensitivity of V1 neurons responding preferentially tostimuli presented via the trained eyes was significantly greaterthan that of neurons responding preferentially to stimuli presentedvia the untrained eyes. The effect was confined to the trainedspatial frequencies. In both trained and untrained cats, theneuronal contrast sensitivity functions derived from the contrastsensitivity of the individual neurons were highly correlated withbehaviorally determined perceptual contrast sensitivityfunctions.ConclusionsWe suggest that training-induced neuronal contrast gain in area V1underlies behaviorally determined perceptual contrast sensitivityimprovements.