Leonard Edward White
Associate Professor in Neurology
Functional architecture of the visual cortex; role of sensory experience in development
One important goal of neuroscience is to understand the fundamental principles that shape the developing brain. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to characterize the interactions between sensorimotor behavior, self-organization, and genetically programmed mechanisms of brain development. This interplay between intrinsic and experience-dependent factors is most dynamic during early life, at a time of explosive increase in the numbers and complexity of neural connections. It is precisely this increase in neural capacity that makes possible the rich repertoire of behavior associated with functional maturity. My primary interest is to understand how sensorimotor experience in early life influences — for better or worse — the formation and maturation of functional neural circuits in the cerebral cortex. My collaborators and I believe that our studies are providing insight into the nature of normal brain development and the consequences of disrupting the partnership between intrinsic developmental mechanisms and early sensorimotor experience.
One important goal of neuroscience is to understand the fundamental principles that shape the developing brain. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to characterize the interactions between sensorimotor behavior, self-organization, and genetically programmed mechanisms of brain development. This interplay between intrinsic and experience-dependent factors is most dynamic during early life, at a time of explosive increase in the numbers and complexity of neural connections. It is precisely this increase in neural capacity that makes possible the rich repertoire of behavior associated with functional maturity. My primary interest is to understand how sensorimotor experience in early life influences — for better or worse — the formation and maturation of functional neural circuits in the cerebral cortex. My collaborators and I believe that our studies are providing insight into the nature of normal brain development and the consequences of disrupting the partnership between intrinsic developmental mechanisms and early sensorimotor experience.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
- Associate Professor in Neurology, Neurology, General & Community Neurology, Neurology 2017
- Associate Director for Education in the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, University Institutes and Centers 2016
- Associate Professor of Neurobiology, Neurobiology, Basic Science Departments 2010
- Associate Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedics, Orthopaedics 2017
- Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Psychology and Neuroscience, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2018
- Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, University Institutes and Centers 2011
Contact Information
- Box 91003, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Durham, NC 27708
- M056 Levine Science Research Center, 308 Research Drive, Durham, NC 27708
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len.white@duke.edu
(919) 613-5028
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