Re-analysis of a meta-analysis about tryptophan and depression
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15626/MP.2023.3716Abstract
This is a reanalysis of a meta-analysis about L-tryptophan blood levels and depression, which became part of the controversy around a recent umbrella review about the role of serotonin in depression. The reanalysis revealed major methodological limitations, raising doubts on the conclusions in the original publication that levels of tryptophan are lowered among depressed compared to non-depressed individuals. The data is also compatible with a null effect and no firm conclusion should be made.
Metrics
References
Jauhar, S., Arnone, D., Baldwin, D. S., Bloomfield, M., Browning, M., Cleare, A. J., Corlett, P., Deakin, J. W., Erritzoe, D., Fu, C., et al. (2023). A leaky umbrella has little value: Evidence clearly indicates the serotonin system is implicated in depression. Molecular Psychiatry, 1–4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-023-02095-y
Moncrieff, J., Cooper, R. E., Stockmann, T., Amendola, S., Hengartner, M. P., & Horowitz, M. A. (2023). The serotonin theory of depression: A systematic umbrella review of the evidence. Molecular Psychiatry, 28(8), 3243–3256. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-022-01661-0
Pu, J., Liu, Y., Zhang, H., Tian, L., Gui, S., Yu, Y., Chen, X., Chen, Y., Yang, L., Ran, Y., et al. (2021). An integrated meta-analysis of peripheral blood metabolites and biological functions in major depressive disorder. Molecular Psychiatry, 26(8), 4265–4276. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-020-0645-4
Science Media Center. (2022). Expert reaction to a review paper on the ‘serotonin theory of depression’. Retrieved from https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-a-review-paper-on-the-serotonin-theory-of-depression/
Sterne, J. A., Egger, M., & Moher, D. (2008). Addressing reporting biases. In Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Wiley Online Library. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470712184.ch10
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Martin Plöderl
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
