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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2025.02.24.639829

The pulvinar regulates plasticity in human visual cortex

Acquafredda, M.·Kurzawski, J. W.·Biagi, L.·Tosetti, M.·Morrone, M. C.·Binda, P.
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Abstract

In normally sighted human adults, two-hours of monocular deprivation is sufficient to transiently alter ocular dominance. Here we show that this is associated with a reduction of functional connectivity between the pulvinar and early visual cortex, selective for the pulvinar-to-V1 directionality. Across participants, the strength of the pulvinar-to-V1 connectivity was negatively correlated with the ocular dominance shift, implying less plasticity in participants with stronger influence of the pulvinar over V1. Our results support a revised model of adult V1 plasticity, where short-term reorganization is gated by modulatory signals relayed by the pulvinar. TeaserShort-term monocular deprivation triggers a reorganization of the visual processing network, measured with 7TfMRI in human adults.

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Acquafredda, M., Kurzawski, J. W., Biagi, L., Tosetti, M., Morrone, M. C., Binda, P.. 2025-02-25. The pulvinar regulates plasticity in human visual cortex. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.02.24.639829

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