Auditory Research 2026

Effects of Chronic and Acute Stress on Central Auditory Functions

Moshe Hershkowitz Joseph Attias
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel

Background
Stress is known to affect multiple physiological systems. While some effects of chronic and acute-stress on various audiometric measures have been documented, their impact on central auditory processing remains insufficiently understood. This study investigated the effects of chronic stress, acute-stress on central auditory functions using electrophysiological and behavioral measures.

Methods
Eighty-nine adults participated: 46 individuals with high perceived chronic stress and 43 low-stress controls. Participants completed an auditory oddball paradigm while electroencephalographic (EEG) activity was recorded. Event-related potentials (P1, N1, P2, N2, P3, N3) were analyzed in response to standard, target, and stress-related novel stimuli. Behavioral measures included reaction time, response accuracy, and speech-in-noise perception.

Results
Stress differentially affected auditory processing stages. Early ERP components (P1, N1) demonstrated accelerated processing, suggesting impaired sensory gating and altered temporal processing. Intermediate components (P2, N2) showed reduced amplitudes associated with less efficient selective attention and sensory integration. In later cognitive stages (P3, N3), highly stressed participants exhibited prolonged latencies, extended cortical transmission times, reduced P3 amplitudes, indicating compromised mismatch detection, working memory updating, and increased limbic system involvement. More diffuse cortical activation patterns among highly stressed participants were seen across all ERP components. Behavioral performance remained largely unaffected in low-demand tasks but deteriorated significantly during challenging speech-in-noise conditions (SNR -15 dB).

Conclusion
Chronic stress substantially alters central auditory processing, with effects increasing as cognitive processing demands rise. These findings provide evidence for neurophysiological mechanisms linking stress and auditory function and highlight important clinical implications for auditory assessment and rehabilitation in stressed populations.