Growing evidence indicates that the brain works as a whole, relying on interaction of various factors in the local circuit as well as cross-talk between different brain regions. For example, visual cortical neurons in awake behaving animals not only respond to visual stimuli but also are modulated by animal’s behavioral states through neuromodulatory pathways. However, it remains unclear how visual cortex integrates sensory and non-sensory modulatory information from specific subcortical structures to regulate plasticity. To answer this question, we apply close-loop visual training, together with 2-photon imaging and patterned stimulation, to dissect the contribution of specific neuromodulator in this process.