Neurotransmitter loss in the synaptic cleft produces auditory adaptation.

Evidence

The majority of the transmittal material returns from the cleft to the hair cell at the rate r c(t), while some of the material is lost in the cleft and from the system with the speed l c(t). This loss introduces an adaptation to the firing rate. — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 1644

Categorization

• DEFINE: Explainable mechanism: adaptation to sustained sound arises from transmitter depletion rather than neural fatigue.