Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32967089›Full record

ReviewBrain sciences2020

The Involvement of Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis in Suicide Risk.

Isabella Berardelli, Gianluca Serafini, Natalia Cortese, Federica Fiaschè, Rory C O'Connor, Maurizio Pompili

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Brain sciences, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 90 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
90citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
8.3field-weighted citation impact, top 1% 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

90 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 163 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Genetics and epigenetics of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors: Systematic review of the suicide literature and methodological considerations.American journal of medical genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric genetics : the official publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics · 2022
    Pooled it
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  4. Article
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  8. Inflammation and treatment strategies for suicidal behavior.The world journal of biological psychiatry : the official journal of the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry · 2026
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  9. Article
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  17. A biological phenotype of suicide attempt in adolescents with nonsuicidal self-injury: a machine-based learning approach.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2025
    Article
  18. Article
  19. Review: Suicide and its relationship to aggression and impulsivity.Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience · 2025
    Review
  20. Article

30 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 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Isabella BerardelliDepartment of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Suicide Prevention Center, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, 00100 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-0602-871X
Gianluca SerafiniDepartment of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, IRCCS San Martino, Largo Rosanna Benzi 10, 16100 Genoa, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-6631-856X
Natalia CorteseDepartment of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Suicide Prevention Center, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, 00100 Rome, Italy.
Federica FiaschèDepartment of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Suicide Prevention Center, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, 00100 Rome, Italy.
Rory C O'ConnorSuicidal Behaviour Research Laboratory, Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 0XH, UK.
Maurizio PompiliDepartment of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Suicide Prevention Center, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, 00100 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-1886-4977
Azienda Ospedaliera Sant'Andrea · ITUniversity of Genoa · ITUniversity of Glasgow · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Stress and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation play a major role in various pathophysiological processes associated with both mood disorders and suicidal behavior. We conducted a systematic review with the primary aim of clarifying the nature and extent of HPA axis activity and suicidal behavior. The second aim of this review was to investigate whether potential biomarkers related to HPA axis abnormalities act as individual susceptibility factors for suicide. The PRISMA statement for reporting systematic reviews was used. Only articles published in English peer-reviewed journals were considered for possible inclusion; we excluded case reports, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews, and studies that did not clearly report statistical analysis, diagnostic criteria, or the number of patients included. Overall, 36 articles on HPA axis and suicide risk met inclusion criteria and were reviewed. Studies that investigated tests detecting biomarkers and the role of early life stressors in suicide risk were also included. We found that HPA axis activity is involved in suicide risk, regardless of the presence or absence of psychiatric conditions. The HPA axis abnormalities, mainly characterized by hyperactivity of the HPA axis, may exert an important modulatory influence on suicide risk. Impaired stress response mechanisms contribute to suicide risk. Targeting HPA axis dysregulation might represent a fruitful strategy for identifying new treatment targets and improving suicide risk prediction.

Indexed as

Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal axisstresssuicidal behavior

Identifiers

PMID32967089
PMCPMC7565104
OpenAlexW3087206556

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.