Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39820155›Full record

ArticleNpj mental health research2025

Meta analysis of resting frontal alpha asymmetry as a biomarker of depression.

Yiwen Luo, Mingcong Tang, Xiwang Fan

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Npj mental health research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

16 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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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

3 authors.

Yiwen LuoClinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Shanghai Pudong New Area Mental Health Center, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200124, China.
Mingcong TangClinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Shanghai Pudong New Area Mental Health Center, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200124, China.
Xiwang FanClinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Shanghai Pudong New Area Mental Health Center, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200124, China. fanxiwang2020@163.com.

Funding

Medical discipline Construction Project of Pudong Health Committee of Shanghai PWZzb2022-09
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This meta-analysis investigated resting frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) as a potential biomarker for major depressive disorder (MDD). Studies included articles utilizing FAA measure involving EEG electrodes (F3/F4, F7/F8, or Fp1/Fp2) and covering both MDD and controls. Hedges' d was calculated from FAA means and standard deviations (SDs). A systematic search of PubMed through July 2023 identified 23 studies involving 1928 MDD participants and 2604 controls. The analysis revealed a small but significant grand mean effect size (ES) for FAA (F4 - F3), suggesting limited diagnostic value of FAA in MDD. Despite the presence of high heterogeneity across studies, subgroup analyses did not identify significant differences based on calculation formula, reference montage, age, or depression severity. The findings indicate that FAA may have limited standalone diagnostic utility but could complement existing clinical assessments for MDD, highlighting the need for a multifaceted approach to depression diagnosis and prognosis.

Identifiers

PMID39820155
PMCPMC11739517

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.