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Anxiety is a feeling of apprehension,
dread or fear. A moderate amount of short term anxiety can enhance
concentration and memory. However, when the anxiety is chronic and
low level, such as that arising from an unhappy marriage or an
unfulfilling job, cognitive impairment can result from a dulling of
the senses. One consequence of this is impaired memory.
One target of
chronic anxiety on the brain, evidence suggests, is the hippocampus
-a pair of structures that play a key role in the transformation of
experiences and perceptions into enduring memories. Studies suggest
that prolonged anxiety can kill or retard the growth and activity of
cells in the hippocampus.
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