We process our world differently when we’re stressed out, and so, too, do mice. According to a new paper in PLOS Biology, mice perceive sounds in a different way when they’ve been subjected to repeated stressors, responding to some louder sounds as if they were softer.
“We found that repetitive stress alters sound processing,” the study authors stated in their paper. “These alterations in auditory processing culminated in perceptual shifts, particularly a reduction in loudness perception.”
Read More: How Do Other Animals See the World?
Though an abundance of research has recognized that chronic stress impacts our complex cognition, impairing processes like learning and memory, far fewer studies have looked into the impacts of chronic stress on our senses.
“There remains a notable gap,” the study authors stated, “in our understanding of its influence on fundamental cortical functions, such as sensory processing.”
In fact, of the few studies that have ...
