Q: I am a 22 years old boy and a medical student. My memory both, short and long term is getting weak. For example if I study some topic like congestive heart failure, it seems to me that I have completely understood and learned the topic but when my friends or teacher asks me a question I can't remember it. Can you tell me the proper way of studying? What diet and exercise should I take up which will make my brain sharp?

A:A key aspect of learning and memory is trying to associate what ever you learn or hear to something already stored in your memory. Speaking from personal experience one aspect which I have seen helps us in remembering things is to understand the underlying concept or mechanism which makes it easy to recall the content. For example, if you are learning the pahtophysiology or treatment of congestive heart failure, try to understand it rather than attempting to memorise. Attempt to understand why each treatment may be helpful- by that I mean trying to understand the mechanism of action of that particular drug in congestive heart failure (CHF).