Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Developing a Rat Model for Bipolar Disorder
Published on: May 2, 2025
Anticonvulsants in bipolar disorder
1School of Neurology, Neurobiology and Psychiatry, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Heinz.Grunze@ncl.ac.uk
Abstract:
Anticonvulsant drugs are widely used in psychiatric indications. This includes alcohol and benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms, panic and anxiety disorders, dementia, schizophrenia, and to some extent personality disorders. Besides pain syndromes, their main domain outside epilepsy, however, is bipolar disorder. Carbamazepine, valproate, and lamotrigine are meanwhile recognized mood stabilizers, but several other antiepileptic drugs have also been tried out with diverging or inconclusive results. Understanding the mechanisms of action and identifying similarities between anticonvulsants effective in bipolar disorder may also enhance our understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of the disorder.
Related Concept Videos
Mania and Antimanic Drugs: Overview
Antiepileptic Drugs: GABAergic Pathway Potentiators
The key GABA pathway potentiators used in epilepsy management are as follows.
Benzodiazepines are a well-known class of drugs used for their...
Bipolar Disorder
Antiepileptic Drugs: Sodium Channel Blockers
Sodium channel blockers modulate ion channels, particularly voltage-gated sodium channels. They block only sodium ion movement.
Among the most commonly prescribed antiepileptic drugs are...
Antiepileptic Drugs: Glutamate Antagonists
Antiepileptic Drugs: Calcium Channel Blockers
Calcium channel blockers exert their antiepileptic effects by targeting T-type calcium channels, which are integral to transmitting nerve signals in the central nervous system. These channels allow the passage of calcium ions, which are vital for neuronal communication. By inhibiting T-type calcium channels, calcium channel blockers effectively reduce the release of neurotransmitters and...