Multiple distinct timescales of rapid sensory adapation in the thalamocortical circuit.

Although the perceptual effects of persistent sensory stimulation have been known for centuries, the rapid sensory adaptation of the underlying neural signaling to these persistent inputs are not well understood. Here, we present evidence for two distinct timescales of adaptation over several seconds across the thalamocortical circuit in mice. We identify both the overall level of neural activity and the corresponding population synchrony of the thalamic inputs to primary somatosensory cortex as key role players shaping the cortical adaptation.