Psychobiological Frontiers of Electroconvulsive Therapy in Depression : Evaluation of Strategies for Rational Prescription and Reduction in Morbidity1

Respected members of the chair and distinguished colleagues, I a m proud to address you at this august forum. Before I commence with my text, I have a few pleasant duties to perform. I acknowledge with gratitude Professors Venkoba Rao and Parvathi Devi for having instituted this award, and pay my humble respects to the memory of their son, the late Tilak Venkoba Rao, whose promising career was tragically aborted by an unfortunate road accident. I thank my mentor and colleague, Dr. B. N . Gangadhar, who has guided me in much of my EGT research. Finally, I wish to pay a special tribute to all my teachers, down the decades, some of whom I am privileged to have in my audience today; few amongst us can claim to be entirely selfmade, and I unreservedly acknowledge my personal and professional indebtedness to the teaching profession.