La terapéutica farmacológica de los trastornos mentales en la obra de Gonzalo R. Lafora

Abstract

Although the relevance of the neuropathological contributions of Gonzalo R. Lafora, one of the maximum exponents of the Spanish neuropsychiatric School of the first third of twenty century, is extremely important and well-known, its contribution to the development of the drug therapy of mental disorders has received a little attention in our circle. The more relevant therapeutic contributions of Lafora are focused in the treatment of schizophrenia and sleep disorders (narcolepsy), and he can be considered as the Spain introducer of the new prevailing European biological therapies: carbon dioxide therapy, Speransky�s spinal transfusion pumping, opotherapy, shocks with sodium nucleinate, prolonged sleep therapies with barbiturates, malaria therapy, and phenothiazine therapy. At experimental level, Lafora designed a drugs intracerebral application system, by means of semi-rigid sounds. Lafora can be considered as a true pioneer of the Spanish psychopharmacology.