“…Children raised in these situations have been shown to have altered gray matter volume in ACx and diminished auditory fiber tract integrity (Teicher et al, 2016), lower amplitude auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) (Skoe et al, 2013), and poorer performance on speech perception tasks (Nittrouer and Burton, 2005). Although the underlying mechanisms may differ, stress induced during adulthood alters auditory perceptual sensitivity (Ashton et al, 2000; Hasson et al, 2013; Perez et al, 2013) and alters neural morphology and response properties in ACx and inferior colliculus, the auditory hub of the midbrain (Bose et al, 2010; Dagnino-Subiabre et al, 2012; Ma et al, 2015). Thus, ELS may have widespread effects on the auditory pathway and even the auditory periphery; for example, a corticotropin-releasing factor signaling system is active in the cochlea (Vetter and Yee, 2018).…”