ReviewInternational journal of molecular sciences2021
Associations between Melatonin, Neuroinflammation, and Brain Alterations in Depression.
Review in International journal of molecular sciences, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 73 papers, 4 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
73 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 121 citations in OpenAlex.
- Dose-response relationship of exercise interventions on sleep quality in patients with depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Meta-analysis of associated factors of sleep disorders in elderly patients with coronary heart disease.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- The Impact ofCurrent neuropharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- Melatonin or its analogs as premedication to prevent emergence agitation in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC anesthesiology · 2023Pooled it
- Sleep fragmentation and heightened inflammation: A latent profile subtype predicting nine-year major depressive disorder severity in the MIDUS study.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Article
- From Mechanism to Therapy: Establishing an Integrated Framework for the Regulation and Intervention of Matrix Vesicles in Vascular Calcification.Cardiovascular drugs and therapy · 2026Review
- Melatonin: Roles and Molecular Mechanisms in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease.Biomolecules · 2026Review
- Comparative Effects of Behavioral Analysis Therapy of Feelings and Brief Focal Psychotherapy: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Assessor-Blinded Clinical Trial.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Metformin improves chronic rhinosinusitis with depressive-like behavior in mice by targeting TCF4 to inhibit the TLR4/NF-κB pathway.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Neurobehavioral Effects of Two Distinct Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in a Two-Week Chronic Stress Model in Zebrafish.Brain sciences · 2026Article
- Juglone/MWCNT-Modified Electrode for High-Performance Melatonin Detection.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Structure-activity relationships of steroid and sterol neuromodulators on inflammatory markers in a murine microglial cell line.The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology · 2026Article
- Associations of probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and yogurt supplements with oxidative balance scores and all-cause and cardiovascular mortalities in neuropsychiatric disorders.American heart journal plus : cardiology research and practice · 2026Article
- Immunotherapy for depression: targeting cytokine pathways in major depressive disorder.Psychopharmacology · 2026Review
- Ferroptosis in Neuropsychiatric and Neurodegenerative Disorders: Shared Mechanisms and Disease-Specific Signatures.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Neurobiology of Anxiety and Depression in CP/CPPS: A Narrative Review of Underlying Mechanisms.Neurology international · 2026Review
- Prevalence and Correlates of Problematic Alcohol Use Among Older Chinese Adults: A Study Combining Logistic Regression and Psychological Network Analysis.Alpha psychiatry · 2026Article
- Alterations in serum melatonin, IL-6 and BDNF levels and their clinical correlations in first-episode major depressive disorder.Annals of general psychiatry · 2026Article
- The gut microbiota mediates depression-like behaviors in mice with chronic Echinococcus multilocularis infection.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2026Article
- Acupuncture as a modulator of microglial polarization and pyroptosis in depression: evidence from a chronic unpredictable mild stress rat model.Metabolic brain disease · 2026Article
13 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
3 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Pro-inflammatory systemic conditions that can cause neuroinflammation and subsequent alterations in brain regions involved in emotional regulation have been suggested as an underlying mechanism for the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). A prominent feature of MDD is disruption of circadian rhythms, of which melatonin is considered a key moderator, and alterations in the melatonin system have been implicated in MDD. Melatonin is involved in immune system regulation and has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory properties in inflammatory conditions, through both immunological and non-immunological actions. Melatonin has been suggested as a highly cytoprotective and neuroprotective substance and shown to stimulate all stages of neuroplasticity in animal models. The ability of melatonin to suppress inflammatory responses through immunological and non-immunological actions, thus influencing neuroinflammation and neurotoxicity, along with subsequent alterations in brain regions that are implicated in depression, can be demonstrated by the antidepressant-like effects of melatonin. Further studies that investigate the associations between melatonin, immune markers, and alterations in the brain structure and function in patients with depression could identify potential MDD biomarkers.
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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.