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Stress across timescales: differential effects of acute and chronic stress on auditory processing and perception.

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Title: Stress across timescales: differential effects of acute and chronic stress on auditory processing and perception.
Authors: Dor L; Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84105, Beer Sheva, Israel; Zelman Center for Brain Science Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84105, Beer Sheva, Israel., Resnik J; Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84105, Beer Sheva, Israel; Zelman Center for Brain Science Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84105, Beer Sheva, Israel. Electronic address: resnikj@bgu.ac.il.
Source: Hearing research [Hear Res] 2026 Aug; Vol. 478, pp. 109684. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 May 26.
Publication Type: Journal Article; Review
Language: English
Journal Info: Publisher: Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 7900445 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1878-5891 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 03785955 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Hear Res Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Original Publication: Amsterdam, Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press.
MeSH Terms: Auditory Pathways*/physiopathology , Auditory Pathways*/metabolism , Stress, Psychological*/physiopathology , Stress, Psychological*/psychology , Stress, Psychological*/complications , Stress, Psychological*/metabolism , Auditory Perception* , Stress, Physiological* , Hearing*, Humans ; Animals ; Time Factors ; Chronic Disease ; Acoustic Stimulation ; Attention ; Acute Disease ; Auditory Threshold ; Neuronal Plasticity
Abstract: Stress has long been linked to auditory dysfunction and altered sound perception, but its effects are often discussed without fully distinguishing between acute and chronic stress timescales. Here, we integrate evidence that acute and chronic stress engage partly overlapping but temporally distinct mechanisms and produce different auditory outcomes. Acute stress triggers rapid neuromodulatory and hormonal responses that can transiently alter auditory filtering, deviance detection, attention, and sound sensitivity, often biasing the system toward heightened salience and vigilance. In contrast, chronic stress is associated with more persistent changes in auditory attention, loudness perception, sound tolerance, and central auditory coding, reflecting longer-term alterations in circuit function and baseline regulation. In this review, we examine how acute and chronic stress influence auditory processing and perception in adulthood across human and animal studies, drawing together behavioral, physiological, and circuit-level findings. We highlight candidate mechanisms including glucocorticoid and catecholamine signaling, shifts in excitation-inhibition balance, altered thalamocortical and amygdala-related interactions, and stress-driven plasticity within mature auditory networks. We argue that chronic stress should not be viewed simply as a prolonged version of acute stress, but rather as a distinct state that may involve longer-lasting changes in auditory coding, baseline regulation, and perceptual weighting. Organizing stress effects by timescale may provide a framework for interpreting stress-related listening difficulties and for informing clinical conditions such as tinnitus, hyperacusis, and impaired hearing in noisy environments.
(Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: Acute and chronic stress; Auditory function across timescales; Auditory processing and perception
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20260530 Date Completed: 20260701 Latest Revision: 20260807
Update Code: 20260808
DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2026.109684
PMID: 42217483
Database: MEDLINE
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  Data: Stress across timescales: differential effects of acute and chronic stress on auditory processing and perception.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Dor+L%22">Dor L</searchLink>; Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84105, Beer Sheva, Israel; Zelman Center for Brain Science Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84105, Beer Sheva, Israel.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Resnik+J%22">Resnik J</searchLink>; Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84105, Beer Sheva, Israel; Zelman Center for Brain Science Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84105, Beer Sheva, Israel. Electronic address: resnikj@bgu.ac.il.
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  Data: <i>Original Publication</i>: Amsterdam, Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Auditory+Pathways%22">Auditory Pathways*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Auditory+Pathways+physiopathology%22">physiopathology</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Auditory+Pathways%22">Auditory Pathways*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Auditory+Pathways+metabolism%22">metabolism</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Stress%2C+Psychological%22">Stress, Psychological*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Stress%2C+Psychological+physiopathology%22">physiopathology</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Stress%2C+Psychological%22">Stress, Psychological*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Stress%2C+Psychological+psychology%22">psychology</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Stress%2C+Psychological%22">Stress, Psychological*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Stress%2C+Psychological+complications%22">complications</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Stress%2C+Psychological%22">Stress, Psychological*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Stress%2C+Psychological+metabolism%22">metabolism</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Auditory+Perception%22">Auditory Perception*</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Stress%2C+Physiological%22">Stress, Physiological*</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Hearing%22">Hearing*</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Humans%22">Humans</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Animals%22">Animals</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Time+Factors%22">Time Factors</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Chronic+Disease%22">Chronic Disease</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Acoustic+Stimulation%22">Acoustic Stimulation</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Attention%22">Attention</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Acute+Disease%22">Acute Disease</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Auditory+Threshold%22">Auditory Threshold</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Neuronal+Plasticity%22">Neuronal Plasticity</searchLink>
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  Data: Stress has long been linked to auditory dysfunction and altered sound perception, but its effects are often discussed without fully distinguishing between acute and chronic stress timescales. Here, we integrate evidence that acute and chronic stress engage partly overlapping but temporally distinct mechanisms and produce different auditory outcomes. Acute stress triggers rapid neuromodulatory and hormonal responses that can transiently alter auditory filtering, deviance detection, attention, and sound sensitivity, often biasing the system toward heightened salience and vigilance. In contrast, chronic stress is associated with more persistent changes in auditory attention, loudness perception, sound tolerance, and central auditory coding, reflecting longer-term alterations in circuit function and baseline regulation. In this review, we examine how acute and chronic stress influence auditory processing and perception in adulthood across human and animal studies, drawing together behavioral, physiological, and circuit-level findings. We highlight candidate mechanisms including glucocorticoid and catecholamine signaling, shifts in excitation-inhibition balance, altered thalamocortical and amygdala-related interactions, and stress-driven plasticity within mature auditory networks. We argue that chronic stress should not be viewed simply as a prolonged version of acute stress, but rather as a distinct state that may involve longer-lasting changes in auditory coding, baseline regulation, and perceptual weighting. Organizing stress effects by timescale may provide a framework for interpreting stress-related listening difficulties and for informing clinical conditions such as tinnitus, hyperacusis, and impaired hearing in noisy environments.<br /> (Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
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  Data: <i>Keywords: </i>Acute and chronic stress; Auditory function across timescales; Auditory processing and perception
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        Value: 10.1016/j.heares.2026.109684
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        Text: English
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        StartPage: 109684
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              Text: 2026 Aug
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