Serotonin and Depression
This 2022 paper set out to conduct large meta-analyses to evaluate evidence around this hypothesis. 17 studies were included in the analysis and no results were synthesised from individual meta-analyses because they contained data from overlapping studies.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month so we are rating and reviewing 5 top cited papers in depression research,
It is a widely known hypothesis that depression is at least in part caused by a lowered concentration or activity of serotonin in the brain.
This 2022 paper set out to conduct large meta-analyses to evaluate evidence around this hypothesis. 17 studies were included in the analysis and no results were synthesised from individual meta-analyses because they contained data from overlapping studies.
This study was conscientiously designed and carried out, data resulting from the meta-analysis did not support the serotonin hypothesis. While controversial, this suggests that there is no consistent evidence for a link between serotonin concentration or activity!
This paper shows that negative data is just as important to report as positive data, as this study now opens the doors to exploring other potential causes or contributing factors in depression. Without negative data such as this being reported, serotonin would still be viewed as one of the big hitters in this area of research, which wastes time and resources.
What do you think of this study? Do you agree with the experimental design, or the way the results were discussed? Join the discussion here:
Joanna Moncrieff, Ruth E. Cooper, Tom Stockmann, Simone Amendola, Michael P. Hengartner, Mark A. Horowitz
And check out the rest of our sprint for Mental Health Awareness Month here: