Lernen und Adaptation im visuellen System des Menschen

Neural representations are continuously shaped by experience, and processes like learning and adaptation occur within various brain systems. The process of adapting to a prism-induced displacement of the visual world demonstrates the retention of neural plasticity within the adult visual and sensorimotor systems. The present work addressed specific factors of prism adaptation in humans using psychophysical methods. The first study was conducted to examine the completeness of the adaptation process during throwing or pointing movements. In the second study, the task-specificity of prism adaptation under different sensory feedback conditions was tested. A third study assessed spatial generalization of prism adaptation as a function of specific training conditions. The results are discussed with respect to the mechanisms the brain uses in order to rapidly adjust sensorimotor representations in response to altered environmental conditions.