ReviewMolecular psychiatry2003
GABAergic dysfunction in mood disorders.
Review in Molecular psychiatry, 2003. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 208 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
208 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 550 citations in OpenAlex.
- Brain GABA levels across psychiatric disorders: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis of (1) H-MRS studies.Human brain mapping · 2016Pooled it
- Effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid on working memory and attention: A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover trial.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2023Trial
- γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) administration improves action selection processes: a randomised controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2015Trial
- Hypothalamus-anchored resting brain network changes before and after sertraline treatment in major depression.BioMed research international · 2014Trial
- Effects of yoga versus walking on mood, anxiety, and brain GABA levels: a randomized controlled MRS study.Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) · 2010Trial
- Metabolomic differences in heart failure patients with and without major depression.Journal of geriatric psychiatry and neurology · 2010Trial
- Imbalance in excitation and inhibition in sgACC is associated with depression in dementia with Lewy bodies.Translational psychiatry · 2026Article
- Dietary Behaviors and Mental Health Disorders Among Private University Students in Dhaka North City Corporation, Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study.Public health challenges · 2026Article
- Psychiatric and psychosocial characteristics of children with premature adrenarche: a prospective study.BMC pediatrics · 2026Article
- The Regulatory Potential of Long Non-Coding RNAs in Bipolar Disorder.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Enhanced Postbiotic Metabolite GABA Production in Skim Milk UsingMetabolites · 2026Article
- The association between prenatal maternal selenium concentration and mental health in early childhood, a mother-child cohort study.PloS one · 2026Article
- An examination of anhedonia as a predictor of response with transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment for youth with depression.Journal of mood and anxiety disorders · 2025Article
- Gut Microbiota and Autism: Unlocking Connections.Nutrients · 2025Review
- State-dependent reactivity of anterior cingulate cortex neurochemistry and downstream autonomic arousal in intrusive thinking.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2025Article
- Functionally distinct GABAergic amacrine cell types regulate spatiotemporal encoding in the mouse retina.Nature neuroscience · 2025Article
- A comprehensive review on the impact of polyphenol supplementation and exercise on depression and brain function parameters.Behavioral and brain functions : BBF · 2025Review
- Nutritional Strategies in Major Depression Disorder: From Ketogenic Diet to Modulation of the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis.Molecular neurobiology · 2025Review
- Possible GABAkine-Mediated Sedative-Like Antidepressant Effects of Phytol: Molecular Interventions Through In Vitro, In Vivo and In Silico Approaches.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2025Article
- Exploring common mechanisms of adverse drug reactions and disease phenotypes through network-based analysis.Cell reports methods · 2025Article
148 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The authors review the available literature on the preclinical and clinical studies involving GABAergic neurotransmission in mood disorders. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an inhibitory neurotransmitter present almost exclusively in the central nervous system (CNS), distributed across almost all brain regions, and expressed in interneurons modulating local circuits. The role of GABAergic dysfunction in mood disorders was first proposed 20 years ago. Preclinical studies have suggested that GABA levels may be decreased in animal models of depression, and clinical studies reported low plasma and CSF GABA levels in mood disorder patients. Also, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, electroconvulsive therapy, and GABA agonists have been shown to reverse the depression-like behavior in animal models and to be effective in unipolar and bipolar patients by increasing brain GABAergic activity. The hypothesis of reduced GABAergic activity in mood disorders may complement the monoaminergic and serotonergic theories, proposing that the balance between multiple neurotransmitter systems may be altered in these disorders. However, low GABAergic cortical function may probably be a feature of a subset of mood disorder patients, representing a genetic susceptibility. In this paper, we discuss the status of GABAergic hypothesis of mood disorders and suggest possible directions for future preclinical and clinical research in this area.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.