Anxiety and Cognitive Ability: How Anxiety Impairs Brain Function

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Anxiety can hamper brain function, which impacts memory and learning, as well as attention and focus, decision-making, and problem-solving.

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What Is The Link Between Cognitive Ability And Anxiety?

When stress and anxiety strike, do you forget to complete basic tasks, struggle to concentrate, or feel mentally dull? This isn’t your imagination. Anxiety and cognitive ability are closely linked. Memory, executive function, attention, and thinking ability can all suffer as a result of anxiety.

This blog will explore how anxiety disrupts these cognitive processes, and how it can lead to long-term impacts over time if unaddressed. You will also learn ways to improve brain function and reduce the negative cognitive impact of anxiety.

Anxiety can hamper brain function, which impacts memory and learning, as well as attention and focus, decision-making, and problem-solving.

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True to its name, brain fog can create feelings of being spaced-out, forgetful, distracted, or unable to focus. And it happens to many Americans, according to one study published in 2024, 28.2 percent of participants reported experiencing brain fog.

They shared a number of common symptoms, including difficulties with focusing, concentrating, relaxing, following conversations, remembering appointments, completing paperwork, and performing mental arithmetic.

Brain fog can occur for many reasons:

  • Prior illness, such as COVID-19
  • Untreated mental health conditions, such as depression or ADHD
  • Lifestyle factors, such as lack of sleep or poor diet
  • Food allergies
  • Alcohol or drug addiction
  • Over-the-counter medications
  • Hormonal changes or imbalance
  • Past head injury or trauma
  • Task overload (doing too much)

But some people may find they are struggling with another, often overlooked, factor behind brain fog: anxiety. That’s because anxiety and brain function are closely linked, which affects cognitive ability.

Over time and left untreated, anxiety may even contribute to anxiety-related cognitive decline and other long-term cognitive problems.

At Amen Clinics, brain SPECT imaging helps determine the root causes behind brain fog and mental health issues like anxiety. And with anxiety disorders now the most common mental health condition in the U.S. (affecting nearly 1 out of 5 Americans), more people can benefit from targeted treatment than ever before.

Can Anxiety Interfere With Memory And Learning?

Does anxiety affect memory? Research indicates that it can. In one study, researchers examined the links between anxiety and cognition (defined as information processing).

They found that anxiety could interrupt more complex levels of cognition, because the anxious brain is most focused on avoiding harm. Therefore, certain brain functions such as working memory can suffer.

Other research has attempted to determine what’s happening in the brain when anxiety strikes and persists. We know that anxiety can spike cortisol levels, and if they remain elevated over time, the brain will be affected.

For example, one study found that both function and volume of the brain’s hippocampus is impacted by stress. This brain region is crucial for learning and memory, which is why anxiety and memory loss can go hand in hand.

Other studies back this up. A 2019 meta-analysis that studied more than 500 participants found that anxiety erodes working memory. Results showed that higher anxiety was associated with impairments in both verbal and visuospatial working memory.

Working memory is important for handling tasks in the moment, such as retrieving information, and for tasks like planning, problem-solving, comprehension, and reasoning. Working memory is a cornerstone of healthy cognition and helps with everything from doing math to following instructions.

In addition, when anxiety occurs as a response to a perceived threat, the brain’s neural resources treat it as the priority. Not surprisingly, other brain functions suffer. Research shows that the anxious brain has a reduced capacity to handle other mental tasks.

How Does Anxiety Impact Attention And Focus?

One side effect of anxiety is narrowed focus, which has been critical for human survival. But it can be detrimental in excess.

A study of attentional impairment and anxiety found that, compared to low-anxiety individuals, high-anxiety individuals showed less ability to expand their attention scope from a smaller area to a larger area. This points to cognitive inflexibility, which can have negative effects over time.

A Boston University (BU) article that examined two studies noted that both state anxiety and trait anxiety have a significant impact on the brain networks that relate to attention. State anxiety is defined as anxiety in response to a stressor. Trait anxiety refers to a person’s overall level of anxiousness, which persists over time.

The BU article concluded:

  • State anxiety had a greater impact on the alerting and orienting networks of attention.
  • High state anxiety resulted from a heightened response in the amygdala and superior temporal sulcus (regions activated in the assessment of facial expressions, for example).
  • The brain’s executive network was less efficient in those with high trait anxiety than those with low trait-anxiety.
  • High trait anxiety was associated with a reduced prefrontal response (the brain region related to controlling complex processes).
  • Trait anxiety was responsible for a “reduced general cognitive control capacity.”

Can Chronic Anxiety Contribute To Long-Term Cognitive Problems?

Some amount of stress and anxiety isn’t a bad thing. Humans need anxiety to stay alive, healthy, and thriving. It helps individuals generate motivation, avoid danger, and plan for the future.

However, excess anxiety over years or decades can have negative impacts. A review published in 2024, citing evidence from both human and rodent studies, noted that chronic stress contributes to cognitive impairments in numerous categories. These include cognitive flexibility, behavioral inhibition, and working memory.

The authors explained that stress can disrupt these functions due to alterations in neuroendocrine activity, neurotransmitter systems, and brain structure. These changes particularly affect the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus.

In addition, researchers have discovered a strong association between anxiety, chronic stress, and impaired memory function. In fact, one 38-year longitudinal study found it increased the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

What Treatments Or Therapies Improve Cognitive Ability With Anxiety?

Fortunately, various natural approaches, such as lifestyle changes, will impact anxiety levels. You can therefore potentially reduce long-term damages of anxiety on the brain and improve cognitive function in your daily life.

There are many ways to improve cognitive ability with anxiety. Healing and better functioning of your brain’s hippocampus and prefrontal cortex are possible, simply by practicing brain-healthy habits. Here are five recommended strategies:

1. Try psychotherapy interventions.

Psychotherapy can help pinpoint the root causes of anxiety, which can strike for many reasons. Various therapeutic options will also help address anxiety symptoms.

Potentially successful options include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), hypnotherapy, and more.

Related: 5 Ways Hypnotherapy Can Help You

2. Kill the ANTs.

Automatic negative thoughts, or ANTs, fuel the fire of anxiety. These are typically false thinking patterns that can be questioned and reframed. ANTs include habits like all-or-nothing thinking, blaming others, and catastrophizing.

To fight back against these unhelpful patterns, stop them in their tracks. Recognize and write down the negative thought. Ask if it is true, and if you can be 100 percent sure it’s true. Then imagine how you’d feel without the thought. Over time and with practice, your thinking can improve.

Related: Do You Have an ANT Infestation in Your Head?

3. Practice diaphragmatic breathing.

You need only two minutes to calm anxiety with diaphragmatic breathing. Simply lie down on your back and place a book on your stomach. This will help you make sure your belly, not your chest, rises and falls with every breath.

Inhale a slow, deep breath for four seconds, hold for one second, and exhale for eight seconds. Try this a couple of times every day until it comes naturally to you.

When you experience anxiety due to external stressors, deep breathing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which counteracts the body’s “fight or flight” response.

4. Commit to daily physical activity.

Find a form of exercise you love and stick with it. Physical activity offers a long list of benefits for the entire body. It boosts mood, lowers cortisol levels, and increases blood flow to the brain—a critical step in optimizing brain function.

5. Choose brain-healthy foods.

When stressed, many people reach for foods that can worsen anxiety in the long run: sugar, refined carbohydrates, and ultra-processed junk food. But, because these foods trigger blood sugar spikes and reduce blood flow to the brain, they can actually compromise brain function.

Instead, reach for brain-healthy options: fresh vegetables and fruits (especially berries), whole grains, healthy fats, and lean protein. You’ll feel mentally and physically better when your body receives the vitamins, antioxidants, and phytonutrients it needs to optimize brain function.

Will Managing My Anxiety Promote Better Brain Function?

When it comes to treatment plans, it’s helpful to know your brain. All anxiety is not the same—brain SPECT imaging at Amen Clinics has found seven brain patterns associated with anxiety. The good news is, all of them can be managed once properly diagnosed.

Ultimately, optimal mental health requires optimal brain health. With proper diagnosis, personalized treatment, and brain-healthy lifestyle changes, you can ensure your anxiety stays at manageable levels, and your brain functions at its best.

Faq About Anxiety And Cognitive Ability

Cognitive ability drives everything from word retrieval and focus to memory and learning. Meanwhile, anxiety can hamper brain function, which impacts memory and learning, as well as attention and focus, decision-making, and problem-solving.

The anxious brain has a reduced capacity to handle other mental tasks. In addition, anxiety disrupts functioning of the brain’s prefrontal cortex. This region is critical for decision-making, problem-solving, and directing your attention.

Stress- and anxiety-related alterations in neurotransmitter systems and brain structure affect the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus. The hippocampus is important in forming memories, while the PFC is involved in working memory and attention.

At Amen Clinics, we treat anxiety as a brain-based condition, not a character flaw. Using brain SPECT imaging, we can see where your brain may be overactive (common in anxiety) or struggling to regulate focus, memory, and decision-making. T

his helps us identify the root causes of your cognitive fog or mental overload.

From there, we create a personalized plan that may include targeted therapy (like CBT or EMDR), strategies to reduce automatic negative thoughts (ANTs), brain-healthy nutrition and supplements, and innovative tools like neurofeedback.

By calming overactive areas and strengthening underactive ones, many patients experience clearer thinking, better concentration, and a more balanced emotional state.

Healing the brain often leads to real, lasting relief from anxiety and sharper cognitive function.

Anxiety, brain fog, and other mental health conditions can’t wait. At Amen Clinics, we provide personalized, science-backed treatment plans designed to target the root causes of your symptoms. Our 360-approach includes brain SPECT imaging, clinical evaluations, innovative therapeutic techniques, medications (when necessary), and holistic lifestyle recommendations to promote the health of your brain, body, and mind. Speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here.

Amen Clinics

Founded in 1989 by double-board certified psychiatrist and neuroscientist Daniel G. Amen, MD, Amen Clinics Inc. (ACI) is known as the best brain and mental health company in the world. Our clinical staff includes over 50 healthcare specialists, including adult and child psychiatrists, integrative (functional) medicine physicians, naturopaths, addiction specialists, forensic psychiatrists, geriatric psychiatrists, nutritionists, licensed therapists, and more. Our clinicians have all been hand-selected and personally trained by Dr. Amen, whose mission is to end mental illness by creating a revolution in brain health. Over the last 35-plus years, ACI has built the world’s largest database of functional brain scans—over 250,000 SPECT scans on patients from 155 countries—related to how people think, feel, and behave.
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