LAHORE - Psychiatrists have counted depression, anxiety, alcohol and smoking major causes of memory loss and only proper medication at the initial stage besides good company can lead the patient to live a normal life. The process of memory is based on encoding, storage and retrieval while the age also affects the physical and mental life of the people. These views were expressed during a seminar on Memory Problems of Aging held at Services Hospital here on Saturday. President Psychiatry Society Pakistan, Prof. Haroon Rasheed, Prof Saad Bashir, Prof Altaf Qadir, Dr Nasar Sayeed Khan, Dr Ahsan Noman, Dr Imran Ijaz Haider, Dr Ghulam Haider and others also spoke on the occasion. The speakers informed the audience that human brain consisted of nine billion cells and if they were lay out on the ground, they could cover a distance of three miles. They said the break in connection among these cells leads to memory loss. They said the human brain was 1000 times better in performance than the fastest computer ever made in the world. Dr Haroon narrating the causes of memory loss said that head injury, depression, misuse of sleeping pills, disassociated behaviour besides smoking and loneliness were the causes of dementia and memory loss. He suggested positive thinking, role of caring and change in life style could be useful in healing the patients. Donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine and memantine were suggested as drugs besides therapy for the affected patients by the psychiatrists, however no medicine should be used without prescription by a recognised physician. Medication cannot cure it but they can slow it down for a while, a psychiatrist said and added that managing stress, focus attention, regular exercise were fundamental to build a good memory. They advised students to make short study intervals rather of long sitting study habits, memorise images, vary study routine and teach new concepts to each other to boost up brain health.