The decline in cognitive functioning and the complaint of anxiety symptoms are frequent in the aging process. This dissertation aimed to explore the relationship between anxiety symptoms and the cognitive performance of individuals aged over 55 years. It is divided into two studies in progressive stages. The first study is a systematic review and the second study is an exploratory research with protocol of 73 cognitive tests and 6 anxiety scales. The sample consisted of 26 individuals aged over 55 years, 20 women (76.92 percent) and 6 men (23.07 percent), with a mean age of 70.96 (plus or minus 8.42) years and average schooling of 16.23 (plus or minus 3.68) years of schooling. Correlation coefficients were calculated and, for correlations with medium or large effect, linear regression analysis was performed. Thereafter, the analysis was repeated in a subsample, considering only participants with anxiety above the cutoff point on at least one anxiety scale. There were more correlations with medium or large size effect in the subsample analysis. In each analysis, 11 significant correlations were observed with medium or large size effect, indicating an association between anxiety and cognitive functions. The linear regression of these correlations pointed out that the increase of the level of anxiety reduces the performance in cognitive tasks. We conclude that the results point to dissociation in the different anxiety systems: (1) anxiety state affecting working memory; (2) anxiety trait affecting episodic memory and processing speed; and (3) the physiological symptoms of anxiety affecting the inhibitory control.