Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neuroplasticity in bipolar disorder

Initial descriptions of bipolar disorder (BD) emphasized that patients returned to a baseline condition after acute episodes. Such definitions were operational in teasing bipolar disorder apart from schizophrenia, where patients were described to be permanently impaired after the initial episodes. However, this view of BD as a disorder where cognition and overall functioning was spared has been changing after the scrutiny of new research. …