ReviewCurrent opinion in neurobiology2015
The current state of the neurogenic theory of depression and anxiety.
Review in Current opinion in neurobiology, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 178 papers, 2 of them syntheses 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
178 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 366 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of psychedelics on neurogenesis and broader neuroplasticity: a systematic review.Molecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.) · 2024Pooled it
- Protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence linking hippocampal neurogenesis to the effects of antidepressants on mood and behaviour.BMJ open science · 2021Pooled it
- Reconciling the neurogenic hypothesis of depression with recent advances in adult hippocampal neurogenesis research in humans.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Review
- The Gut Microbiome in Early Ontogeny: Implications for Brain and Immune System Development.Journal of developmental biology · 2026Review
- Consistent decline of acetylcholine in microbiota-gut-brain axis mediates antibiotic-induced anxiety via regulating hippocampus microglial activation.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Article
- A review of neurophysiological relationships between sleep disorders and depression.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Review
- Antidepressant-Like Activity of Naringenin, an Important Agro-Industrial Resource, Complexed with β‑Cyclodextrin.ACS omega · 2026Article
- Gastrodin enhances stress resilience through promoting Wnt/β-Catenin-dependent neurogenesis.Journal of advanced research · 2026Article
- Single-dose DMT reverses anhedonia and cognitive deficits via restoration of neurogenesis in a stress-induced depression model.Translational psychiatry · 2026Article
- Investigating the Antidepressant Mechanism of Acupuncture with a Focus on Mitochondrial Homeostasis.International journal of general medicine · 2026Review
- Relationship between hippocampal volume and treatment response before and after escitalopram administration in patients with depression.Translational psychiatry · 2025Article
- The cognitive neuroscience of ketamine in major depression.Brain : a journal of neurology · 2025Review
- Review
- Computationally resolved neuroprogenitor cell biomarkers associate with human disorders.Stem cell reports · 2025Article
- Electroacupuncture stimulation of auricular concha region improves loss of control over stress induced depression-like behavior by modulating 5-hydroxytryptamine 1A receptor.Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan · 2025Article
- Postpartum depression in relation to chronic diseases and multimorbidity in women's mid-late life: a prospective cohort study of UK Biobank.BMC medicine · 2025Article
- TRPV4 activation by core body temperature has multimodal functions in the central nervous system.The journal of physiological sciences : JPS · 2024Review
- Gyrophoric Acid, a Secondary Metabolite of Lichens, Exhibits Antidepressant and Anxiolytic Activity In Vivo in Wistar Rats.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- A review of diffusion MRI in mood disorders: mechanisms and predictors of treatment response.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2024Review
- SALL2 regulates neural differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells through Tuba1a.Cell death & disease · 2024Article
118 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
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Newborn neurons are continuously added to the adult hippocampus. Early studies found that adult neurogenesis is impaired in models of depression and anxiety and accelerated by antidepressant treatment. This led to the theory that depression results from impaired adult neurogenesis and restoration of adult neurogenesis leads to recovery. Follow up studies yielded a complex body of often inconsistent results, and the veracity of this theory is uncertain. We propose five criteria for acceptance of this theory, we review the recent evidence for each criterion, and we draw the following conclusions: Diverse animal models of depression and anxiety have impaired neurogenesis. Neurogenesis is consistently boosted by antidepressants in animal models only when animals are stressed. Ablation of neurogenesis in animal models impairs cognitive functions relevant to depression, but only a minority of studies find that ablation causes depression or anxiety. Recent human neuroimaging and postmortem studies are consistent with the neurogenic theory, but they are indirect. Finally, a novel drug developed based on the neurogenic theory is promising in animal models.
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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.