SynthesisScientific reports2025
Exploring the association between depression and telomere length: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis 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
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Telomere length has emerged as a potential biomarker of cellular aging and has been implicated in various psychiatric disorders, including depression. However, recent studies investigating the association between depression and telomere length have yielded inconsistent findings. The objective of this study is to systematically review the current literature to evaluate the correlation between depression and telomere length, while also examining the influence of potential moderators such as age, gender, assessment techniques, tissue resources, and depression assessment protocols on this association. We systematically included studies measuring telomere length in individuals meeting clinical or rating scale thresholds for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), employing a thorough search strategy across PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar. Using a structured data abstraction form, studies were meticulously assessed for inclusion or exclusion based on predetermined criteria. Analysis involved standardized mean differences within a random effects model framework, allowing for a comprehensive examination of the association between depression and telomere length while accounting for heterogeneity across studies. Following the meticulous screening of titles, abstracts, and full texts, a total of 71 articles meeting our inclusion criteria were identified and included in the meta-analysis. Our analysis revealed a significant association between depression and telomere length, with a Cohen's d effect size of -0.354 (p-value < 0.0001, I
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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.