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Updated: Jun 23, 2026
04:51
Pupillary Response as Assessment of Effective Seizure Induction by Electroconvulsive Therapy
Published on: April 11, 2019
[The birth of convulsive therapy]
Baran Brigitta1, Bitter István, Ungvári S Gábor
1Semmelweis Egyetem AOK Pszichiátriai es Pszichoterápiás Klinika, Budapest.
Summary
This review commemorates 75 years of convulsive therapy, examining its historical basis, early patient outcomes, and effectiveness. It highlights the treatment's foundational role in biological psychiatry and Laszlo Meduna's contributions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Medical History
Background:
- Review of the historical development and theoretical underpinnings of the first convulsive treatments.
- Examination of neuropathological and clinical findings that informed the method's basis.
Discussion:
- Analysis of case histories from the initial cohort of patients treated with convulsive therapy.
- Discussion of early indications and the observed effectiveness of convulsive therapy.
Key Insights:
- Convulsive therapy's historical significance marked by its 75th anniversary.
- Understanding the foundational clinical and neuropathological evidence for early convulsive treatments.
Outlook:
- Contextualizing convulsive treatment's impact on the evolution of modern biological psychiatry.
- Acknowledging Laszlo Meduna's pivotal role in advancing biological psychiatric treatments.
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