Neural Adaptation

Neural adaptation, also called sensory adaptation, is a gradual decrease over time in the responsiveness of the sensory system to a constant stimulus, usually experienced as a change in the stimulus itself rather than in one's own perception. If a hand rests on a table, the table's surface is felt immediately against the skin, but the sensation gradually diminishes until it becomes virtually unnoticeable, because the sensory neurons that initially responded are no longer stimulated to respond.