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Level A1 – BeginnerCEFR A1
2 min
69 words
- Anxiety affects one in five people in the United States.
- Researchers at the University of Utah study mouse brains.
- Microglia are immune cells in the brain.
- There are two microglia types in this study.
- Blocking Hoxb8 microglia made mice act anxious.
- Blocking all microglia left mice behaving normally.
- Non-Hoxb8 microglia caused more anxious mouse behaviour.
- Hoxb8 microglia prevented anxiety in mice.
- Humans also have two similar microglia populations.
Difficult words
- anxiety — A feeling of worry or fear.anxiety.
- research — Studying to find new information.
- cells — Small building blocks of living things.
- control — To manage or direct something.
- stronger — More powerful or intense.stronger.
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think anxiety is common?
- How can you control your anxiety?
- What helps you feel better when you are anxious?
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