BDNF and bipolar disorder: Besides its efficacy in treating bipolar disorder by inhibition of the metabolic arachidonic cascade, lamotrigine has also been reported for its neuroprotective effects with respect to bipolar disorder arising out from its potential to increase the levels of mRNA and proteins of brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) as well as by increasing the levels of anti-apoptotic factor B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2; Chang et al., 2009; Li et al., 2010).