CNN Special: "Memory" and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Why is it that some people develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and some don't? Are some people genetically prone to developing PTSD? Can PTSD be prevented? These are just a few questions that Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores in "Memory," an upcoming CNN primetime special. The special, premiering Sunday, March 27th, will address how memory plays into PTSD -- and how future research may find ways to prevent the disorder.

"You can give people medication, so that when they see these bad things, it doesn't have an emotionally devastating impact on them," Gupta says. Horrible memories that resurface in veterans can be triggered by anything -- the sound of fireworks, a helicopter, or an emotional moment that brings to mind images of fellow troops.

Two of the main questions Gupta addresses are -- can PTSD be prevented, and are certain people predisposed to the disorder? To explore these areas, Gupta takes viewers through the structure of the brain and the components of memory, how the mind and body work together to create memories, and how in some cases -- like PTSD -- memories can go bad.

With so many troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, treating the disorder is becoming an extremely relevant issue. Gupta reveals that people who develop PTSD show changes in the size of the hippocampus -- the part of the brain that creates memory. "The hippocampus is the soul of memory," Gupta says, "and it was found that people with PTSD have a smaller hippocampus, and in some cases, the hippocampus is less functional." The question is whether the hippocampus shrinks due to the stress that causes PTSD, or whether people with PTSD have a smaller hippocampus to begin with.

While therapy is still a mainstay of treatment, research is trying to find ways of preventing the disorder altogether. Gupta explains that some medication may lessen the effect of terrible memories -- preventing them from negatively reemerging later in life. "There are ways to prevent the hormones that cause someone to remember bad memories so intensely, and block the mind and body from remembering bad memories in such detail," Gupta says. As he and his team explore other possibilities, they outline ways to increase the memory's existing potential.

Gupta visits Fort Bragg in California and Fort Drumm in New York to get a feel for what troops actually go through during combat and in prisoner of war situations. "I have such tremendous respect for our military and the things that they go through. The training is intense -- both physically, emotionally, and mentally." Training is certainly an important aspect of the armed services, but nothing can prepare troops for the emotional stress that causes PTSD. Thanks to new research by the specialists like the ones in "Memory," there is hope for better treatment, awareness, and even prevention.

"Memory" premieres Sunday, March 27 at 10pm on CNN.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta is senior medical correspondent for the health and medical unit at CNN. Gupta, a practicing neurosurgeon and an assistant professor of neurosurgery, plays an integral role in the network's medical coverage, which includes daily packages, the half-hour weekend show Weekend House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and coverage of breaking medical news. Based in Atlanta, he also co-hosts Accent Health for Turner Private Networks, provides medical segments for the syndicated version of ER on TNT, contributes health news stories to CNN.com and writes a column for TIME magazine.