Abstract: An important goal in neuroscience is to understand and control brain plasticity, with ocular dominance plasticity being a particularly active area of research. Studies on short-term monocular deprivation have shown that adults retain some degree of ocular dominance plasticity. To date, pursuing more effective methods for reshaping adult’s ocular dominance remains to be an active research topic, which is crucial for treating adult amblyopia. Brain plasticity can be regulated by reward, and combining reward with training can enhance learning and facilitate neurorehabilitation. However, it remains unknown whether reward can be combined with short-term monocular deprivation to promote the remodeling of ocular dominance in adults, and the underlying mechanisms are yet to be elucidated. To address these questions, this study will employ behavioral measures and EEG to reveal the promotion of reward on the monocular deprivation effect from both perspectives of perceptual and neural ocular dominance. Furthermore, behavioral tests, fMRI, and TMS will be used to clarify the mechanisms by which reward enhances monocular deprivation effects. Finally, this study will compare paradigms of short-term monocular deprivation with and without reward to assess the effectiveness of reward-enhanced monocular deprivation in treating adult amblyopia. This research will contribute to a deeper understanding of brain plasticity and support the development of innovative methods for reshaping ocular dominance and treating adult amblyopia.

Key words: reward, ocular dominance, plasticity, monocular deprivation, attention