Biological Psychiatry papers

Pofolia’s corpus holds 51 papers from Biological Psychiatry (2012–2026), each with a short summary. Below, the 20 most-cited, then the most recently added.

At a glance

• Most cited: Molecular Mechanisms of Depression: Perspectives on New Treatment Strategies (2013, 8,500 citations).
• The 20 papers listed have 31,858 citations between them.
• 17 of the 20 with a known journal quartile appeared in a Q1 journal.
• 10 have a free full text (open access).
• Most frequent journals: JAMA Psychiatry, Brain Behavior and Immunity, Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica.
• Published between 2012 and 2024.

Most cited

Ranked by citation count. Because citations accumulate over time, this list naturally leans towards work published a few years ago; for where the field is now, see “recently added”. How to read the signals

• Molecular Mechanisms of Depression: Perspectives on New Treatment Strategies

  Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry · 2013 · Q3 · FWCI 161.51 · 8,500 citations · Open access

  This review explores the multifaceted molecular mechanisms underlying depression, linking it to metabolic, cardiovascular, endocrine, inflammatory, and neurodegenerative processes.

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• From stress to inflammation and major depressive disorder: A social signal transduction theory of depression.

  Psychological Bulletin · 2014 · Q1 · SJR 8.00 · FWCI 31.42 · 2,177 citations

  This review proposes a new theory linking social stress to depression through inflammation, suggesting that social threats activate immune responses, leading to proinflammatory cytokines that drive depressive symptoms.

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• Microbial tryptophan catabolites in health and disease

  Nature Communications · 2018 · Q1 · SJR 4.00 · FWCI 34.03 · 2,147 citations · Open access

  Gut microbes produce tryptophan catabolites that influence host health by interacting with the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), affecting the intestinal barrier, gut hormones, and systemic inflammation.

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• A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Tumor Necrosis Factor Antagonist Infliximab for Treatment-Resistant Depression

  JAMA Psychiatry · 2012 · Q1 · SJR 5.00 · FWCI 22.00 · 1,591 citations

  The TNF antagonist infliximab did not show overall efficacy for treatment-resistant depression, but it improved depressive symptoms in patients with high baseline inflammatory biomarkers (hs-CRP > 5 mg/L).

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• Peripheral cytokine and chemokine alterations in depression: a meta‐analysis of 82 studies

  Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica · 2017 · Q1 · SJR 2.00 · FWCI 33.76 · 1,436 citations

  A meta-analysis of 82 studies found that individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) have significantly elevated levels of several key cytokines and chemokines, including IL-6 and TNF-alpha, compared to healthy controls.

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• So depression is an inflammatory disease, but where does the inflammation come from?

  BMC Medicine · 2013 · Q1 · SJR 2.00 · FWCI 19.29 · 1,411 citations · Open access

  This review identifies environmental factors like psychosocial stress, poor diet, and inactivity as potential sources of chronic inflammation that mediate depression risk and progression.

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• Kynurenines: Tryptophan’s metabolites in exercise, inflammation, and mental health

  Science · 2017 · Q1 · SJR 10.00 · FWCI 22.15 · 1,350 citations

  Kynurenine metabolites, derived from tryptophan breakdown, are crucial regulators of host-microbiome signaling, immune responses, and neuronal activity. Their accumulation in the brain is linked to depression and schizophrenia, but can be reduced by exercise-induced clearance in skeletal muscle.

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• Impact of the Gut Microbiota on Intestinal Immunity Mediated by Tryptophan Metabolism

  Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology · 2018 · Q1 · SJR 1.00 · FWCI 30.58 · 1,284 citations · Open access

  The gut microbiota significantly influences intestinal immunity by modulating tryptophan (Trp) metabolism, affecting both host and bacterial Trp metabolites. These metabolites, particularly those acting as aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligands, are crucial for maintaining immune homeostasis.

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• Sodium oligomannate therapeutically remodels gut microbiota and suppresses gut bacterial amino acids-shaped neuroinflammation to inhibit Alzheimer’s disease progression

  Cell Research · 2019 · Q1 · SJR 6.00 · FWCI 36.82 · 1,134 citations · Open access

  Sodium oligomannate (GV-971) reverses Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression by remodeling gut microbiota, reducing specific amino acids (phenylalanine and isoleucine), and suppressing neuroinflammation.

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• Kynurenine Pathway of Tryptophan Metabolism: Regulatory and Functional Aspects

  International Journal of Tryptophan Research · 2017 · Q1 · SJR 1.00 · FWCI 20.59 · 1,131 citations · Open access

  The kynurenine pathway (KP) degrades approximately 95% of dietary tryptophan, with the liver handling 90% via TDO and extrahepatic tissues playing a larger role during immune activation via IDO. This pathway produces immunoregulatory and neuroactive metabolites, and its dysregulation is implicated in various diseases.

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• Cumulative meta-analysis of interleukins 6 and 1β, tumour necrosis factor α and C-reactive protein in patients with major depressive disorder

  Brain Behavior and Immunity · 2015 · Q1 · SJR 2.00 · FWCI 5.08 · 1,124 citations

  This cumulative meta-analysis confirms higher mean levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) compared to controls, with associations established early in the literature and consistently confirmed.

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• Neuroinflammation and depression: A review

  European Journal of Neuroscience · 2020 · Q2 · FWCI 28.73 · 1,079 citations

  Neuroinflammation is increasingly recognized as a central factor in major depressive disorder, interacting with serotonin depletion, HPA axis dysregulation, and altered hippocampal neurogenesis.

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• Neuroimmune Interactions: From the Brain to the Immune System and Vice Versa

  Physiological Reviews · 2017 · Q1 · SJR 11.00 · FWCI 14.66 · 1,052 citations · Open access

  This review highlights the crucial, bidirectional communication between the nervous and immune systems, challenging the historical isolation of these fields.

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• Effect of Anti-inflammatory Treatment on Depression, Depressive Symptoms, and Adverse Effects

  JAMA Psychiatry · 2014 · Q1 · SJR 5.00 · FWCI 18.06 · 943 citations

  A meta-analysis of 14 trials found that anti-inflammatory treatments, particularly celecoxib, significantly reduced depressive symptoms compared to placebo (SMD -0.34). No increased risk of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, or infection-related adverse events was observed within 6-12 weeks.

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• Major depressive disorder: hypothesis, mechanism, prevention and treatment

  Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy · 2024 · Q1 · SJR 17.00 · FWCI 116.24 · 942 citations · Open access

  This review comprehensively summarizes the latest research on major depressive disorder (MDD), highlighting the complexity of its pathogenesis and the need for novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies beyond current single-hypothesis explanations.

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• Role of neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative diseases (Review)

  Molecular Medicine Reports · 2016 · Q2 · FWCI 19.70 · 937 citations · Open access

  Neuroinflammation, driven by pro-inflammatory cytokines, is increasingly linked to the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, and ALS, and their associated depression and dementia.

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• Role of Translocator Protein Density, a Marker of Neuroinflammation, in the Brain During Major Depressive Episodes

  JAMA Psychiatry · 2015 · Q1 · SJR 5.00 · FWCI 25.17 · 928 citations

  Major depressive episodes (MDE) are associated with a 26-33% increase in translocator protein density (TSPO VT), a marker of microglial activation, in key brain regions like the prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and insula.

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• Inflammatory markers in depression: A meta-analysis of mean differences and variability in 5,166 patients and 5,083 controls

  Brain Behavior and Immunity · 2020 · Q1 · SJR 2.00 · FWCI 8.87 · 904 citations

  This meta-analysis of 107 studies (5,166 depressed patients, 5,083 controls) confirms depression is a pro-inflammatory state, with significantly elevated levels of key markers like CRP, IL-6, and TNFα.

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• The Serotonin Theory of Depression: A Systematic Umbrella Review of the Evidence

  Molecular Psychiatry · 2022 · Q1 · SJR 4.00 · FWCI 49.31 · 900 citations · Open access

  This umbrella review found no consistent evidence supporting the serotonin theory of depression, which posits that depression is caused by lowered serotonin activity or concentrations.

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• CYTOKINE TARGETS IN THE BRAIN: IMPACT ON NEUROTRANSMITTERS AND NEUROCIRCUITS

  Depression and Anxiety · 2013 · Q1 · SJR 1.00 · FWCI 12.13 · 888 citations

  Inflammatory cytokines can enter the brain and alter neurotransmitter systems like serotonin, dopamine, and glutamate, impacting neurocircuits involved in mood and behavior.

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Recently added

• Exercise and the Kynurenine pathway: Current state of knowledge and results from a randomized cross-over study comparing acute effects of endurance and resistance training

  PubMed · 2026 · 79 citations

  A single bout of endurance exercise, unlike resistance exercise, acutely alters the kynurenine (KYN) pathway in healthy males, increasing kynurenic acid (KA) and quinolinic acid (QA) levels.

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• Metabolic regulation of immunity in the tumor microenvironment

  Cell Reports · 2025 · Q1 · SJR 3.00 · FWCI 18.57 · 67 citations

  Tumor cells and immunosuppressive cells reprogram metabolism in the tumor microenvironment (TME), leading to nutrient competition, toxic metabolite buildup, and immune cell exhaustion, while tertiary lymphoid structures can support immune cell function.

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• Impairments of Neuroplasticity and Cellular Resilience in Severe Mood Disorders: Implications for the Development of Novel Therapeutics

  Psychopharmacology Bulletin · 2025 · Q3 · FWCI 1.64 · 329 citations

  Severe mood disorders are linked to reduced brain volume and fewer glia/neurons, indicating impaired structural plasticity and cellular resilience, not just neurochemical imbalances.

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• The Role of GABA in the Pathophysiology and Treatment of Anxiety Disorders

  Psychopharmacology Bulletin · 2025 · Q3 · FWCI 4.92 · 266 citations

  The GABA system is a central mediator in anxiety disorders, with evidence suggesting a deficiency in GABA neurotransmission contributes to their pathology.

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• Oxidative stress and inflammation in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders: Mechanisms and implications

  Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B · 2024 · Q1 · SJR 3.00 · FWCI 70.58 · 572 citations

  Oxidative stress, an imbalance of reactive oxygen species (ROS), is a key driver in the development of neurological disorders like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and stroke.

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• Major depressive disorder: hypothesis, mechanism, prevention and treatment

  Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy · 2024 · Q1 · SJR 17.00 · FWCI 116.24 · 942 citations · Open access

  This review comprehensively summarizes the latest research on major depressive disorder (MDD), highlighting the complexity of its pathogenesis and the need for novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies beyond current single-hypothesis explanations.

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• Tryptophan metabolism in health and disease

  Cell Metabolism · 2023 · Q1 · SJR 15.00 · FWCI 66.64 · 876 citations

  Tryptophan metabolism, via kynurenine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, and indole pathways, produces bioactive compounds that regulate inflammation, immunity, metabolism, and neurological function, with disorders linked to disease progression and clinical features.

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• The Serotonin Theory of Depression: A Systematic Umbrella Review of the Evidence

  Molecular Psychiatry · 2022 · Q1 · SJR 4.00 · FWCI 49.31 · 900 citations · Open access

  This umbrella review found no consistent evidence supporting the serotonin theory of depression, which posits that depression is caused by lowered serotonin activity or concentrations.

  Go to source →

Journals in this field

The journals that publish most of this field’s papers. Quartile (Q1–Q4), SJR and h-index are from SCImago Journal Rank; “in this field” is how many of the journal’s pooled papers belong here. What is a Q1 journal? · What is the h-index?

Every journal in Biological Psychiatry (Q1–Q4) →

Other subfields in Neuroscience

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Behavioral Neuroscience
• Sensory Systems
• Endocrine and Autonomic Systems
• Developmental Neuroscience
• Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
• Neurology (Neuroscience)

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