Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25407081›Full record

SynthesisBMC psychiatry2014

Cerebral metabolism in major depressive disorder: a voxel-based meta-analysis of positron emission tomography studies.

Liang Su, Yiyun Cai, Yifeng Xu, Anirban Dutt, Shenxun Shi, Elvira Bramon

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisReview
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC psychiatry, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 104 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
104citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
7.4field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

104 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 206 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  16. Molecular, Structural, and Functional Neuroimaging in Major Depression.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2026
    Review
  17. Review
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. [Translational psychiatry · 2025
    Article

44 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Liang SuDepartment of Psychiatry, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, School of Medicine, No. 12 Wulumuqi Road (middle), Shanghai, 200040, People's Republic of China. lsu@fudan.edu.cn.
Yiyun CaiDepartment of Psychiatry, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, School of Medicine, No. 12 Wulumuqi Road (middle), Shanghai, 200040, People's Republic of China. caiyiyuncyy@gmail.com.
Yifeng XuShanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. hyyyyb@gmail.com.
Anirban DuttDepartment of Psychosis studies, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK. anirban.dutt@kcl.ac.uk.
Shenxun ShiDepartment of Psychiatry, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, School of Medicine, No. 12 Wulumuqi Road (middle), Shanghai, 200040, People's Republic of China. shishenxun@163.com.
Elvira BramonDepartment of Psychosis studies, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK. e.bramon@ucl.ac.uk.
King's College London · GBFudan University · CNShanghai Jiao Tong University · CNShanghai Mental Health Center · CN

Funding

Department of Health PDA/02/06/016Medical Research Council G0901310
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMajor depressive disorder (MDD) is a common mental illness with high lifetime prevalence close to 20%. Positron emission tomography (PET) studies have reported decreased prefrontal, insular and limbic cerebral glucose metabolism in depressed patients compared with healthy controls. However, the literature has not always been consistent. To evaluate current evidence from PET studies, we conducted a voxel-based meta-analysis of cerebral metabolism in MDD.

methodData were collected from databases including PubMed and Web of Science, with the last report up to April 2013. Voxel-based meta-analyses were performed using the revised activation likelihood estimation (ALE) software.

resultsTen whole-brain-based FDG-PET studies in MDD were included in the meta-analysis, comprising 188 MDD patients and 169 healthy controls. ALE analyses showed the brain metabolism in bilateral insula, left lentiform nucleus putamen and extra-nuclear, right caudate and cingulate gyrus were significantly decreased. However, the brain activity in right thalamus pulvinar and declive of posterior lobe, left culmen of vermis in anterior lobe were significantly increased in MDD patients.

conclusionOur meta-analysis demonstrates the specific brain regions where possible dysfunctions are more consistently reported in MDD patients. Altered metabolism in insula, limbic system, basal ganglia, thalamus, and cerebellum and thus these regions are likely to play a key role in the pathophysiology of depression.

Indexed as

Basal GangliaBlood GlucoseCerebral CortexFluorodeoxyglucose F18HumansLikelihood FunctionsLimbic SystemMajor Depressive DisorderMalePositron-Emission TomographyRadiopharmaceuticalsThalamusBlood GlucoseFluorodeoxyglucose F18Radiopharmaceuticals

Identifiers

PMID25407081
PMCPMC4240898
OpenAlexW2018608345

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.