This 1994 volume explores the hypothesis that neural activity generated by experience modulates the ongoing growth of the brain during maturation.

Preface; Introduction; Part I. Lecture I: Maps: 1. Brain growth and its potential significance; 2. A contrary view of brain development; 3. Brain maps; 4. Measurement of maps in the developing brain; 5. Conclusion; Part II. Lecture II: Modules: 6. Discovery and definition; 7. The significance of modularity; 8. The development of modular circuitry; 9. Conclusion; Part III. Lecture III: Trophic Interactions: 10. Qualitative and quantitative accuracy of neural connections; 11. Getting the numbers right; 12. The importance of target cell geometry in quantitative accuracy; 13. Does setting the value of convergence involve synapse elimination?; 14. A basis for the interactions that determine convergence; 15. The nature of trophic signals; 16. Conclusion; Part IV. Lecture IV: Activity: 17. How neural activity might lead to information storage; 18. The effects of activity in the developing visual system; 19. An alternative interpretation of the effects of visual deprivation; 20. Some pertinent observations in the peripheral nervous system; 21. Neural activity and the growth of the brain; 22. Some caveats; 23. Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.