Sensory adaptation

Sensory adaptation is a change in responsiveness to a stimulus after sustained or repeated exposure. It can reduce or increase sensitivity, depending on the sensory system and exposure.

Sensory receptors: Specialized cells or nerve endings that detect stimuli and convert them into signals the nervous system can process. Adaptation can begin in receptors as their responses change during continued stimulation.
Absolute threshold: The weakest stimulus intensity detectable under specified conditions. Adaptation can shift the stimulus level needed for detection.
Dark adaptation: The increase in visual sensitivity that occurs after entering a dim environment. It is a prominent example in which adaptation increases responsiveness rather than diminishing it.
Sensory fatigue: A temporary reduction in sensory response associated with prolonged stimulation or exhaustion of a sensory system. It is often used loosely for adaptation, though fatigue can imply impairment rather than normal adjustment.
Neural adaptation: A reduction or other change in neural response during sustained or repeated stimulation. This is the nervous-system response pattern underlying many forms of sensory adaptation.
Just-noticeable difference: The smallest difference between two stimuli that can be detected reliably. Adaptation can alter sensitivity to changes in stimulus intensity.
Light adaptation: The adjustment of vision to brighter conditions, which reduces sensitivity to light. It shows how visual responsiveness falls as the eyes accommodate sustained brightness.
Habituation: A learned decline in response to a repeated, harmless stimulus that does not involve sensory fatigue. Separating habituation from adaptation distinguishes changes in attention or learning from sensory responsiveness.
Lateral inhibition: A neural process in which active pathways suppress activity in neighboring pathways. It sharpens sensory contrasts, complementing adaptation's adjustment to ongoing background stimulation.
Sensory modality: A category of sensation, such as vision, hearing, touch, taste, or smell. Adaptation takes distinct forms across sensory modalities.

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