Is Moncrieff’s Chemical Imbalance Paper a Decent Systematic Umbrella Review?

James Coyne

Jay D. Amsterdam comment

Dear Ned:

Thanks for including me on this little email thread RE Dr. Joanna Moncrieff’s excellent article about the serotonin hypothesis (or lack thereof). In this regard, I thought that you might also be interested in seeing the attached, relatively unnoticed article on brain SERT binding in drug free subjects with major depressive disorder (treated with cognitive therapy (CBT) (a non-pharmacologic intervention) vs. non-psychiatric healthy control subjects).  SPECT SERT binding affinities were examined at baseline and after CBT in CBT responders vs. nonresponders. At baseline we observed low SERT binding (or high brain serotonin concentrations) and after response to CBT we observed the opposite – suggesting the reverse of the serotonin hypothesis of depression. Go figure.

I also thought that you might be interested in seeing a recent paper suggesting an alternative hypothesis (i.e., hormesis) for the putative antidepressant effect of acute SSRI therapy.

Just thought I’d stir the pot a bit more. BTW – it was virtually impossible for Paul Andrews and me to get our hormesis manuscript published in a US or Western European journal; so, we submitted it for peer review to a journal where the editors could think out of the box without pushback.

Best as ever,

Jay

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November 3, 2022