Research summary
Vision is our most valued sense, but restoring sight for the 1.5 million Canadians with blindness or visual impairment remains an unsolved challenge. Dr. Eline Kupers, Canada Research Chair in Computational Neuroscience, is studying how the brain processes signals from the eyes—integrating, filtering and compressing them across space and time—and how this processing is shaped by our goals.
She and her research team are combining behavioural testing, brain imaging and computer modelling to reveal the brain’s limits in visual perception and how these influence performance. By understanding how visual and cognitive processes work together, their research will provide insights into healthy brain function. It will also identify what goes wrong in conditions like dyslexia and schizophrenia and guide the development of treatments to restore or improve vision.