SynthesisFrontiers in psychiatry2020
The Link Between Structural and Functional Brain Abnormalities in Depression: A Systematic Review of Multimodal Neuroimaging Studies.
Synthesis in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 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
26 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 50 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation for Major Depressive Disorder and the Role of Intensity: A Systematic Review and Exploratory Meta-Analysis.Alpha psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Comparative effects of 10-Hz rTMS and iTBS on cortico-striatal connectivity in major depressive disorder: a sham-controlled study.Molecular psychiatry · 2025Trial
- Functional and structural connectivity of thalamic subnuclei in major depressive disorder at 7 Tesla.Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences · 2026Article
- Article
- Has Deep Brain Stimulation Shown Its Full Potential in Treatment-Resistant Depression? A Scoping Review.Biological psychiatry global open science · 2026Review
- Generalizable structure-function covariation predictive of antidepressant response revealed by target-oriented multimodal fusion.Nature. Mental health · 2026Article
- Neurobiological mechanisms and brain network dysfunction in major depressive disorder: an integrative review.Frontiers in integrative neuroscience · 2026Review
- The interplay between inflammation and oxidative stress in depression: pathogenic mechanisms and treatment approaches.Molecular biology reports · 2025Review
- Diffusion trajectory of atypical morphological development in autism spectrum disorder.Communications biology · 2025Article
- Assessment of Brain Morphological Abnormalities and Neurodevelopmental Risk Copy Number Variants in Individuals from the UK Biobank.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Brain structural correlates of an impending initial major depressive episode.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2025Article
- Stress landscape of folding brain serves as a map for axonal pathfinding.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Hippocampal subfield and amygdala volumes are associated with difficulties in emotion regulation of depressed patients with a history of childhood maltreatment.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Optimizing Antidepressant Efficacy: Generalizable Multimodal Neuroimaging Biomarkers for Prediction of Treatment Response.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2024Article
- Network Analysis of Behavioral Activation/Inhibition Systems and Brain Volume in Individuals With and Without Major Depressive Disorder or Social Anxiety Disorder.Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging · 2024Article
- Innovation at the Intersection: Emerging Translational Research in Neurology and Psychiatry.Cells · 2024Article
- Alterations in subcortical magnetic susceptibility and disease-specific relationship with brain volume in major depressive disorder and schizophrenia.Translational psychiatry · 2024Article
- Healthy core: Harmonizing brain MRI for supporting multicenter migraine classification studies.PloS one · 2024Article
- Gene expression and brain imaging association study reveals gene signatures in major depressive disorder.Brain communications · 2024Article
- Mechanical hierarchy in the formation and modulation of cortical folding patterns.Scientific reports · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAdequate and timely identification of depression is essential to improve patient care. A potential method to achieve this is by using neuroimaging. Many neuroimaging studies have revealed widespread abnormalities in brain structure and function in patients with depression, but in most studies only single neuroimaging modalities were used. Links between abnormalities in brain structure and function need to be therefore further explored in order to define diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
methodsA systematic literature review according to preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was conducted.
resultsOut of 2,516 articles, only 14 studies were eligible to be included. These studies combined structural and functional neuroimaging methods in depressed patients compared to controls. Four studies reported a negative relationship between brain structure and function within the default mode network: reduced gray or white matter integrity in depressed patients compared to healthy controls was associated with enhanced neural activity or connectivity. The other studies reported positive relationships (two studies), mixed relationships (two studies), or no link (six studies) between structural and functional brain abnormalities.
conclusionThis systematic literature review revealed no robust relationship between abnormalities in brain structure and function in patients with depression. Remarkably, only 14 studies could be included and four of these suggested enhanced default mode network connectivity associated with reduced structural brain integrity. In the ongoing development of the diagnostic and treatment applications of neuroimaging, large-scale studies that combine structural with functional neuroimaging are required to determine the relationship between structural and functional abnormalities in depression.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.