Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34920399›Full record

SynthesisPsychoneuroendocrinology2022

Cortisol and development of depression in adolescence and young adulthood - a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Zuzanna Zajkowska, Nancy Gullett, Annabel Walsh, Valentina Zonca, Gloria A Pedersen, Laila Souza, Christian Kieling, Helen L Fisher, Brandon A Kohrt, Valeria Mondelli

Open access · hybridAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 102 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
102citing papers in PubMed, 8 pooled it
9.5field-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

102 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 173 citations in OpenAlex.

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42 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

10 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.

Zuzanna ZajkowskaKing's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, UK.
Nancy GullettKing's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, UK.
Annabel WalshKing's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, UK.
Valentina ZoncaKing's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, UK; Biological Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy.
Gloria A PedersenDivision of Global Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, 2120L St NW, Ste 600, Washington, DC 20037, USA.
Laila SouzaDepartment of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Division, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Rua Ramiro Barcelos, 2350 - 400N, Porto Alegre, RS 90035-903, Brazil.
Christian KielingDepartment of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Division, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Rua Ramiro Barcelos, 2350 - 400N, Porto Alegre, RS 90035-903, Brazil.
Helen L FisherKing's College London, Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, UK; ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health, King's College London, London, UK.
Brandon A KohrtDivision of Global Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, 2120L St NW, Ste 600, Washington, DC 20037, USA.
Valeria MondelliKing's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, UK; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, King's College London, London, UK. Electronic address: valeria.mondelli@kcl.ac.uk.
King's College London · GBGeorge Washington University · USHospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre · BRIstituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico · ITUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul · BR

Funding

Brazilian-American Initiative on Neuroimaging for Identifying Depression Early in Adolescence (BRAIN-IDEA)R21MH124072 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · PI KIELING, CHRISTIAN, SWARTZ, JOHNNA ROSE · 2020 to 2020
$346k
Medical Research Council MC_PC_MR/R019460/1MRF_ MRF-160-0005-ELP-MONDENIMH NIH HHS R21 MH124072
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionDysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has been implicated in the development of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adulthood. Less work has focused on the role of the HPA axis in depression in adolescence and young adulthood globally. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of worldwide research investigating the relationship between cortisol, a measure of HPA axis activity, and MDD in adolescence and young adulthood.

methodWe searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Web of Science, Lilacs, African Journals Online, and Global Health for studies which examined the relationship between cortisol and MDD in global youth (10-24 years old).

resultsTwenty-six studies were included in the systematic review and 14 were eligible for the meta-analysis, but only one study included young adults in their sample. Results from the meta-analysis demonstrated that elevated morning, but not evening, cortisol levels was prospectively associated with later MDD development in adolescence and young adulthood. However, morning cortisol levels did not significantly differ between healthy controls and individuals with MDD in cross-sectional studies. Afternoon cortisol and cortisol stress response also did not differ between adolescents with MDD and healthy controls. Qualitative synthesis of the three studies examining nocturnal cortisol showed higher nocturnal cortisol was both longitudinally and cross-sectionally associated with MDD in adolescence.

conclusionOur findings suggest elevated morning cortisol precedes depression in adolescence. Despite this, we did not find any differences in other cortisol measures in association with MDD in cross-sectional studies. Taken together, these findings suggest that elevated morning and nocturnal cortisol are risk factors for depression in adolescence rather than a biomarker of existing MDD. This supports a role for the hyperactivity of the HPA axis in the development of MDD in adolescence. Most of the studies were from high-income-countries (HICs) and thus further work would need to be conducted in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to understand if our findings are generalisable also to these populations.

Indexed as

HydrocortisoneMajor Depressive DisorderAdolescentAdultChildCross-Sectional StudiesDepressionHumansHypothalamo-Hypophyseal SystemPituitary-Adrenal SystemYoung AdultHydrocortisoneAdolescenceCortisolDepressionHPA axisMajor depressive disorderStress

Identifiers

PMID34920399
PMCPMC8783058
OpenAlexW4200477815

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.