Protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence linking hippocampal neurogenesis to the effects of antidepressants on mood and behaviour.

Objective: Studies in rodents associated the deficits of adult hippocampal neurogenesis with behavioural anomalies which may be reversed by antidepressant treatments. A previous systematic review (SR) and meta-analysis (MA) indicated a hierarchy within the proneurogenic effects of different antidepressants in naive rodents. The present review aims to evaluate a more comprehensive sample of studies investigating the links between the effects of different antidepressants and adult hippocampal neurogenesis.

Do antidepressants promote neurogenesis in adult hippocampus? A systematic review and meta-analysis on naive rodents.

The neurogenic hypothesis of depression states that adult hippocampal neurogenesis is disrupted by stress and depression and is recovered by chronic treatments with antidepressants. Indeed, chronic antidepressant treatments increased newborn neurons in the adult dentate gyrus in many early studies. However, conflicting findings appeared over time.