Metacognitive Training as a Serious Game (Macu'ta)

Christina Andreou

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Delusions; Psychotic Disorders; Schizophrenia and Related Disorders

Treatments: Device: Control games; Device: Metacognitive training game

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04631939

2020-02291

Details and patient eligibility

About

The project aims to evaluate the efficacy of a therapeutic video game that incorporates elements from metacognitive training on delusions and jumping-to-conclusions in patients with psychotic disorders.

Full description

The study is an international, multicenter study and is being conducted in Switzerland (University of Basel) as well as in Germany (University of Lübeck). A total of 36 participants will be included. The estimated duration of the study is 15 months. All participants play a video game from the genre "Third Person Adventure". A character is navigated through a fantasy world using a keyboard and mouse. In the fantasy world, "stations" in the form of glowing gems are sought where players have to solve different tasks.

Participants are randomized to receive either the therapeutic video game with metacognitive training content or another video game with attention and memory tasks ("control intervention"). The control intervention does not include metacognitive tasks. Metacognitive training is an approach for the treatment of psychotic disorders, particularly delusions. The focus of metacognitive training is on thought distortions (so-called "cognitive biases") that are more pronounced in people with psychosis. The control intervention includes easily understandable, playful tasks. The intervention will take 4 appointments within 2 weeks.

Enrollment: 36 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 40 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• aged between 18 and 40
• diagnosis of a psychotic disorder and current delusions or a history of delusions

Exclusion criteria

• Language skills insufficient for assessments
• IQ < 70
• Secondary psychotic disorders that are clearly induced by general medical conditions or substance use.
• Previous participation in meta-cognitive training for psychosis

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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36 participants in 2 patient groups

study intervention

Experimental group

Description:

The intervention consists of a puzzle adventure game, in which players have to explore the fantasy world "Macu'ta". The puzzles are based on Metacognitive Training for Psychosis (MCT), an intervention using playful, entertaining exercises to increase awareness of reasoning biases in patients and 'sow the seeds of doubt' through corrective ('aha!') experiences. The tasks will address reasoning biases associated with the emergence and maintenance of delusions.

Treatment:

Device: Metacognitive training game

control intervention

Sham Comparator group

Description:

The control intervention consists of a puzzles focused exclusively on dexterity and accuracy.

Treatment:

Device: Control games