# Sensory Gating --- **Sensory gating** is a process that your [[brain]] does automatically to filter out redunatn or irrelevant [[afferent nervous system|sensory information]]. For example, if a person hears a pair of clicks within 500 ms of one another, the person will gate out the second click because it is perceived as being redundant. One way the brain can gate information is with the use of [[neural adaptation]], in which sensory neurons reduce their signal frequency of ambient stimuli. ## Nicotine's Effects on Sensory Gating One reason people report they like smoking cigarettes is [[nicotine|nicotine's]] ability to aid their selective attention. The nicotine causes the receptors to release nitric oxide, which *slows sensory inhibition* causing a suppression of a subsequent stimuli. Due to its effect, nicotine can correct sensory gating deficits for individuals with [[schizophrenia]] (80% of schizophrenics smoke 30 cigarettes/day), although the effects only last about 30 minutes since the nicotine receptors desensitize quickly. The same self-medication is present among those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and even those on the [[autism spectrum disorder|autism spectrum]] as well. ## Sensory Gating's Effects on Creativity Some studies have shown that a reduced ability for sensory gating actually *increasese* one's **creativity**. The reasoning for this is thought to be that the more unfiltered information getting into the brain allows for a greater capacity to integrate different ideas—essential for creative thinking. ___