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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 29, 2026

Reducing State Anxiety Using Working Memory Maintenance
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Can anxiety damage the brain?

Linda Mah1, Claudia Szabuniewicz, Alexandra J Fiocco

  • 1aDepartment of Geriatric Psychiatry, University of TorontobRotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric CarecDepartment of Psychology, Institute for Stress and Wellbeing Research, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Current Opinion in Psychiatry
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Summary

Anxiety and chronic stress damage the brain, particularly the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC), increasing risks for depression and dementia. Interventions like cognitive-behavioral therapy may reverse this damage.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry
  • Mental Health

Background:

  • Stress significantly worsens mental illnesses like depression.
  • Stress also elevates the risk of developing dementia.
  • A common mechanism may underlie stress-induced affective and cognitive impairments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if anxiety causes brain damage.
  • To identify mechanisms linking stress to neuropsychiatric disorders.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on anxiety, stress, and brain function.
  • Analysis of neurocircuitry alterations in response to threat and stress.
  • Examination of structural and functional changes in the amygdala, prefrontal cortex (PFC), and hippocampus.

Main Results:

  • Anxiety disorders involve exaggerated amygdala responses and impaired PFC/hippocampus regulation.
  • Chronic stress similarly affects fear neurocircuitry, damaging the PFC and hippocampus.
  • This damage inhibits the PFC/hippocampus's control over the stress response.

Conclusions:

  • Pathological anxiety and chronic stress cause structural degeneration and impaired function in the hippocampus and PFC.
  • These brain changes may explain the heightened risk for depression and dementia.
  • Further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm if interventions can reverse these effects and reduce illness risk.