SynthesisPsychopharmacology2025
Glutathione alterations in depression: a meta-analysis and systematic review of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies.
Synthesis in Psychopharmacology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Oxidative Stress and Neuroimaging Alterations in Major Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Pooled it
- Glutathione-Related Metabolite Levels and Enzyme Activities in Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Neuropsychopharmacology reports · 2026Pooled it
- Ferroptosis in major depressive disorder: Molecular mechanisms, cellular vulnerability, and therapeutic opportunities.Biochemistry and biophysics reports · 2026Review
- Single ayahuasca administration mitigates long-term behavioral and neurochemical effects of early-life stress in rats.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2026Article
- Changes in Glutathione and Homocysteine Concentrations in Treatment-Resistant Depression After Electroconvulsive Therapy.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2026Article
- Article
- Ferroptosis in depression: mechanisms, association, and therapeutic strategies.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2026Review
- Peripheral S-(PGJBMC psychiatry · 2026Article
- Oxidative and Nitrosative Stress in Atopic Dermatitis and Depression: Similarities in Biomarkers and Pathophysiological Mechanisms.Pathophysiology : the official journal of the International Society for Pathophysiology · 2026Review
- Functional and Metabolic Abnormalities in Primary Visual Cortex and Frontal Eye Fields and Candidate Biomarkers of Acute Acquired Comitant Esotropia.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2026Article
- Curcumin reprograms metabolic pathways and MAPK signaling to exert antidepressant effects.Biochemistry and biophysics reports · 2026Article
- Mitochondrial control of blood-brain barrier homeostasis in neuroinflammatory psychiatric disorders.Frontiers in molecular neuroscience · 2026Review
- Molecular, Structural, and Functional Neuroimaging in Major Depression.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2026Review
- Chronic Restraint Stress Misaligns Corneal Clock via β-Adrenergic and Glucocorticoid Signaling, Altering Epithelial, Neural, Immune, Metabolic States.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2025Article
- Early maternal separation potentiates the impact of later social isolation in inducing depressive-like behavior via oxidative stress in adult rats.Psychopharmacology · 2025Article
- Glutathione Metabolism of the Brain-The Role of Astrocytes.Journal of neurochemistry · 2025Review
- Trends in research on novel antidepressant treatments.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMajor depressive disorder (MDD) is a common and serious psychiatric disorder associated with significant morbidity. There is mounting evidence for the role of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of depression.
objectiveTo investigate alterations in the brain antioxidant glutathione in depression by undertaking a meta-analysis of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS).
methodsMEDLINE, EMBASE and Psych Info databases were searched for case-control studies that reported brain glutathione levels in patients with depression and healthy controls. Means and variances (SDS) were extracted for each measure to calculate effect sizes. Hedges g was used to quantify mean differences. The Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed.
results8 studies that reported measurements for 230 patients with depression and 216 controls were included. Three studies included data for the occipital cortex and five studies for the medial frontal cortex. In the occipital cortex, GSH was lower in the patient group as compared to controls (g = -0.98, 95% [CI, -1.45--0.50], P = < 0.001). In both the medial frontal cortex and in the combined all areas analysis there was no significant difference in GSH levels between cases and controls.
conclusionsThis study found reduced levels of GSH specifically in the occipital region of patients with MDD. This provides some support for the role of oxidative stress in depression and suggests that targeting this system may provide future therapeutic opportunities. However, the meta-analysis was limited by the small number and quality of the included studies. More studies using high quality MRS methods in a variety of brain regions are needed in the future to test this putative hypothesis.
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