# PLASTICITY OF CORTICAL ENSEMBLE CONNECTIVITY IN VISUAL LEARNING

> **NIH NIH F32** · COLUMBIA UNIV NEW YORK MORNINGSIDE · 2022 · $69,802

## Abstract

Vision is a critical sensory modality that we depend on to navigate through the world and understand our
surroundings. Disorders of the visual system lead to severe interpersonal deficits and to economic
immiseration. Although much progress has been made describing the cellular basis of visual perception,
little is known about the connectivity of brain circuits that process visual information, and even less is
known about how this connectivity changes over time. I propose to leverage cutting-edge robotic and
optical technologies to clarify how neuronal ensembles (coactive groups of cells) are connected in the
primary visual cortex (V1), the neocortical region where visual perception arises. Ensembles in V1 exhibit
activity patterns with reproducible spatial and temporal structures which define the functional vocabulary
of cortical microcircuits. It has been recently shown that the activation of ensembles is necessary and
sufficient for visual perception. The Hebbian hypothesis suggests that neurons that are repeatedly
coactive over time (ensembles) are likely to be more strongly synaptically connected to one another than
to neurons outside of the ensemble. I will develop a high-throughput tool to test this Hebbian hypothesis
of preferential synaptic connectivity within ensembles using robotic electrophysiology and holographic
optogenetic stimulation (Aim 1). I will then describe the functional and structural changes of cortical
microcircuits during visual learning using chronic two-photon calcium imaging of neurons in the mouse
visual cortex, in relation to the Hebbian hypothesis of synaptic plasticity and learning (Aim 2). Successful
completion the current project will establish a structural link between ensemble activity and the activity of
the brain during visual learning, yielding inroads towards a more complete understanding of visual
processing, a prerequisite to addressing the dearth of effective treatment options for blindness.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10490276
- **Project number:** 5F32EY031932-02
- **Recipient organization:** COLUMBIA UNIV NEW YORK MORNINGSIDE
- **Principal Investigator:** William Andrew Stoy
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $69,802
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-16 → 2024-09-15

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10490276

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10490276, PLASTICITY OF CORTICAL ENSEMBLE CONNECTIVITY IN VISUAL LEARNING (5F32EY031932-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10490276. Licensed CC0.

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