Brain and Environment Interaction: Neuroplasticity of the Visual Cortex and the Roles of Sensory Deprivation, Sleep, and Dreams.
Psychiatry July 6, 2026 Rehana K Naik Olson, Lawrence Wichlinski
The adult visual cortex, once thought to be rigid and unchangeable, retains some capacity for neuroplastic change, which can be influenced by environmental factors such as visual deprivation. The Defensive Activation Theory (DAT) proposes that dreaming during rapid eye movement sleep helps prevent loss of visual function during the visual deprivation that occurs nightly. This review examines evidence for visual cortical plasticity across the human lifespan and the roles of sleep and dreaming in mediating that plasticity, concluding that adult neuroplasticity contributes to functional outcomes and that sleep plays a mediating role.