What the Science says…
At Empowered Performer Project, we believe in following the science to better understand how the body and mind really work. Emphasizing this builds a deeper understanding of the impact that our craft and industry has on us all, and allows for informed consent, which creates security and wellness within our field.
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Complete Reference List: Botox and Emotional Processing Research
RECENT STUDIES (2020-2025)
1. Stark et al. (2023) - Brain Activity Study
Title: "Modulation of amygdala activity for emotional faces due to botulinum toxin type A injections that prevent frowning" Journal: Scientific Reports, Volume 13, Article 3333 Published: February 27, 2023 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-29280-x Direct Links:
PubMed Central: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9971043/
2. Vanaria et al. (2025) - Comprehensive Review
Title: "The Face of Emotion: Botulinum Toxin, Emotional Anatomy, and Mood Modulation" Journal: Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, Volume 24, Issue 6, e70264 Published: January 2025 (Most recent comprehensive review!) DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.70264 Direct Links:
Wiley: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jocd.70264
PubMed Central: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12108219/
3. Qian et al. (2020) - Depression Meta-Analysis
Title: "Efficacy and Safety of Botulinum Toxin vs. Placebo in Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials" Journal: Frontiers in Psychiatry, Volume 11, Article 603087 Published: December 4, 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.603087 Direct Links:
4. Schulze et al. (2021) - Updated Depression Review
Title: "Botulinum toxin for the management of depression: An updated review of the evidence and meta-analysis"Journal: Journal of Psychiatric Research, Volume 135, Pages 332-340 Published: March 2021 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.01.016 Direct Links:
5. Zamanian et al. (2022) - Borderline Personality Disorder Study
Title: "Neuronal effects of glabellar botulinum toxin injections using a valenced inhibition task in borderline personality disorder" Journal: Scientific Reports, Volume 12, Article 14197 Published: August 20, 2022 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-18473-w
6. Crowley et al. (2022) - Glabellar Injection Meta-Analysis
Title: "Glabellar Botulinum Toxin Injection Improves Depression Scores: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis"Journal: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Volume 150, Pages 211e-220e Published: July 2022 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1097/PRS.0000000000009240
7. Lehnert et al. (2023) - Clinical Practice Case Study
Title: "Botulinum Toxin Therapy for Psychiatric Disorders in Clinical Practice: A Retrospective Case Study" Journal:Toxins, Volume 15, Issue 6, Article 385 Published: 2023 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins15060385
8. Finzi (2023) - New Paradigm Review
Title: "Botulinum Toxin Treatment for Depression: A New Paradigm for Psychiatry" Journal: Toxins, Volume 15, Issue 5, Article 336 Published: May 14, 2023 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins15050336 Direct Link:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/15/5/336
9. Demchenko et al. (2024) - Systematic Review of Clinical Trials
Title: "Botulinum toxin injections for psychiatric disorders: a systematic review of the clinical trial landscape" Journal:Toxins, Volume 16, Issue 4, Article 191 Published: April 15, 2024 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins16040191 Direct Link: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/16/4/191
10. Makunts et al. (2021) - Anxiety Database Study
Title: "Postmarketing safety surveillance data reveals protective effects of botulinum toxin injections against incident anxiety" Journal: Scientific Reports, Volume 11 Published: December 21, 2021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-01818-4
11. Li et al. (2021) - Therapeutic Mechanisms Review
Title: "Botulinum Neurotoxin Therapy for Depression: Therapeutic Mechanisms and Future Perspective" Journal:Frontiers in Psychiatry, Volume 12, Article 584416 Published: April 23, 2021 DOI:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.584416 Direct Links:
Frontiers: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.584416/full
PubMed Central: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8102733/
12. Roohaninasab et al. (2024) - Quality of Life Study
Title: "The effect of facial BOTOX injection on quality of life and happiness, a descriptive/prevalence study" Journal:Health Science Reports Published: August 21, 2024
FOUNDATIONAL STUDIES (2009-2014) - Still Highly Cited
13. Havas et al. (2010) - Emotional Language Processing
Title: "Cosmetic use of botulinum toxin-A affects processing of emotional language" Journal: Psychological Science, Volume 21, Issue 7, Pages 895-900 Published: July 2010 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797610374742
14. Davis et al. (2010) - Emotional Experience Study
Title: "The effects of BOTOX injections on emotional experience" Journal: Emotion, Volume 10, Issue 3, Pages 433-40Published: June 2010 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018690
15. Hennenlotter et al. (2009) - Brain Imaging Study
Title: "The link between facial feedback and neural activity within central circuitries of emotion--new insights from botulinum toxin-induced denervation of frown muscles" Journal: Cerebral Cortex, Volume 19, Issue 3, Pages 537-42Published: March 2009 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhn104
16. Finzi & Rosenthal (2014) - Depression RCT
Title: "Treatment of depression with onabotulinumtoxinA: a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial" Journal:Journal of Psychiatric Research, Volume 52, Pages 1-6 Published: May 2014 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2013.11.006
17. Neal & Chartrand (2011) - Emotion Perception Study
Title: "Embodied emotion perception: amplifying and dampening facial feedback modulates emotion perception accuracy" Journal: Social Psychological and Personality Science, Volume 2, Issue 6, Pages 673-678 Published:November 2011 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550611406138
18. Baumeister et al. (2016) - Emotion Processing Review
Title: "Deeper than skin deep - The effect of botulinum toxin-A on emotion processing" Journal: Toxicon, Volume 118, Pages 86-90 Published: August 2016 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2016.04.044
HOW TO ACCESS THESE STUDIES:
Free Access Options:
PubMed Central (PMC) - Many studies are freely available here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/
Open Access Journals - Frontiers, Scientific Reports, Toxins (MDPI) are all open access
University Library - If you're affiliated with a university, you likely have access through their library system
ResearchGate - Authors often upload PDFs of their papers here
DOI Links:
Every study has a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) that will take you directly to the official publication. Just paste the DOI into your browser or use https://doi.org/ followed by the DOI number.
PubMed:
Search by study title or first author at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
ADDITIONAL CONTEXT:
Most Comprehensive Recent Review: The Vanaria et al. (2025) study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology is the most recent and comprehensive, analyzing 46 articles published between 2018-2024.
Best Brain Imaging Evidence: The Stark et al. (2023) Scientific Reports study provides the strongest recent fMRI evidence of brain changes.
Depression Treatment Evidence: The Schulze et al. (2021) and Qian et al. (2020) meta-analyses provide the most robust statistical evidence for antidepressant effects.
Psychiatric Applications: The Demchenko et al. (2024) Toxins review covers the broadest range of psychiatric applications beyond just depression.
All of these are peer-reviewed, published studies from legitimate medical and scientific journals. You can cite any of these with confidence.