Juhn Atushi Wada (1924–2023) and the history of the Wada test

Abstract

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurologic conditions in the world. Surgical treatment for refractory epilepsy is a method to optimize the quality of life for patients. Throughout his medical career, Dr. Wada examined the underlying mechanism of epilepsy and developed procedures to improve outcomes for his patients. A literature search of articles was conducted via PubMed and Google Scholar to chronicle the personal and professional life of Juhn Atsushi Wada. The review focused on Dr. Wada’s epilepsy research and the development of the carotid amytal injection, today known as the Wada test. In 1924, Juhn Atsushi Wada was born in Tokyo, Japan where he eventually attended Hokkaido Imperial University for his medical education. After completing his medical degree in 1947, Dr. Wada began his neurology and neurosurgery career in a war-torn Japan at the Hokkaido Imperial University Hospital. He developed the Wada test, an intracarotid sodium amytal injection, and published his landmark manuscript in 1949 that featured the observed benefits of the procedure and its suggested mechanisms of epilepsy. Wada would later move to North America, where he would disseminate his technique and lead the field in treating and understanding epilepsy. The contributions of Juhn Atsushi Wada earned him recognition as a leader in the fields of epilepsy neurosurgery and neurology.