The Experience-Dependent Plasticity Group conducts research focusing on the mechanisms by which the environment shapes our nervous system: In post-natal development, sensation and deprivation exert a powerful influence over the lasting functional organization of the brain that reflects the statistics of our formative experiences. In adulthood, learning allows us to detect novelty, attain rewards, avoid punishment, acquire skills and maintain relationships. Across our lifespan, memory serves as a defining property of our brains that provides each of us with access to a unique autobiography, but degradation of learning and memory is becoming a signature problem of our era as we live longer lives and become increasingly at risk of dementia. We study experience-dependent plasticity in the context of the healthy brain but also in disease, where neurodevelopmental or degenerative disorders can have a devastating impact on lasting information storage.