An approach to the history of psychosurgery

Abstract

Introduction: psychosurgery applies neurosurgical
techniques to the treatment of psychiatric diseases that
do not evolve satisfactorily with conservative treatment.
Its origins date back to ancient times and it has come a
long way to modern therapeutic indications, however many
challenges still face it.

Objective: to characterize the theoretical references that
supports the use of psychosurgical techniques from its
beginnings to the present.

Methods: for the development of this bibliographic update,
an exhaustive search was carried out in central Pubmed,
regional Scielo and Scielo Cuba, including 18 articles. Of
wich five were traduced from English 50 % of the papers
werw published in the last five years and 30% of the last
three years.

Development: the case of Phineas Gage laid the foundations
for the discovery of the participation of the frontal lobe
in behavioral disorders, since then the international
neuroscientific community has dedicated itself to the
search for therapeutic options for patients with psychiatric
conditions. However, many of the founding fathers of
psychosurgery were not consistent with the principle
of not causing older males to patients, which is why
they popularized the fear of these procedures, until in
1947 when Spiegel and Wycis wrote a new chapter in the
history of psychosurgery. psychosurgery by introducing in
1947 the stereotaxy systems applied to it. Currently, with
neuromodulation, new perspectives have been opened in
this field.

Conclusions: like any surgical procedure, these therapies
have associated complications, so their use must be strictly
justified, also taking into account that the damage to the
nervous system is minimal, while at the same time allowing
an alternative to be offered in those cases refractory to
treatment.