Our unique perception of the world evolves with experience throughout our lifespan. As neuroscientists we believe that differences in sensory perception, including pathological perturbations of our ability to accurately perceive our environment, partly arise from variable circuitry in our brains. However, we do not yet understand the molecular, synaptic, and circuit mechanisms by which experience shapes and perturbs sensory circuits. Identifying neural targets for plasticity will offer both novel insight into sensory disorders and potential therapeutic strategies to restructure pathological circuitry in adulthood. Our research combines electrophysiology, optogenetics, two-photon imaging, anatomical techniques and transcriptional analysis with the aim of identifying mechanisms for cortical plasticity.