Acetylcholine amplifies specific sensory inputs, increasing signal-to-noise ratio and salience for neuroplasticity.

“Now acetylcholine is released from two sites in the brain. One is also in the brainstem... the parabigeminal nucleus or the parabrachial region... sends wires, these axons up into the area of the brain that filters sensory input. So we have this area of the brain called the thalamus... when I pay attention to something... I create a cone of attention and what that cone of attention reflects is that acetylcholine is now amplifying the signal of sounds that Costello is making with his snoring and essentially making that signal greater than all the signal around it, what we call signal-to-noise goes up... Acetylcholine acts as a spotlight but epinephrin for alertness. acetylcholine spotlighting these inputs.”