NewRoFoundation

Over the summer, Chi Nwankwoala conducted research studying the effects of anxiety on memory function with a 33-question survey she created on Google Forms.

She received 1,111 responses, helping her to identify the prevalence of anxiety in people’s daily lives and how it impacts their ability to process and recall information.

“My results show that anxiety negatively impacts one’s ability to process and recall information,” she said.

Nwankwoala plans to continue researching the connection between anxiety and memory loss as she pursues a career in neuroscience. It is an important topic, as anxiety disorders can go undiagnosed.

“Anxiety is the most common mental disorder in the United States,” Nwankwoala said. “It does mimic regular stress.”

She hopes to help educate people on the negative effects caused by suppressed emotions, not just physically but biologically.

“My results can also be used to create new pharmaceutical treatments that look to reduce the severity of anxiety while preventing memory deficits from taking place,” she said.