Optimal Dose of a Cognitive Control Training for Depression Vulnerability

University Ghent

Status: Completed

Conditions: Major Depression in Remission

Treatments: Behavioral: Cognitive control training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05166798

BC-10551

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study aims to examine the dose-response relationship of an online adaptive cognitive control training on depressive symptomatology and rumination. Participants will be randomized over six groups, each receiving a different dose (0, 1, 5, 10, 15 or 20 sessions) of a cognitive control training in remitted depressed patients. An adaptive Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task will be used as cognitive control training.

Full description

Depression is often associated with cognitive impairments and recent studies have found that for some people, these cognitive problems persist after remission of depression. These cognitive impairments could be a risk factor for recurrence of depressive episodes. Cognitive control training aims to address these cognitive impairments and decrease the risk of recurrence of depression.

One promising operationalization of cognitive control training is the adaptive Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task, but currently, it's unclear how many sessions one should complete in order to obtain cognitive- and emotional transfer effects. By comparing multiple groups with a different number of sessions (0, 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20), with measures at post (one month after baseline) and two follow-up periods (at 3 months and 6 months after baseline), this study examines the effects of an online cognitive control training on depressive vulnerability factors.

Enrollment: 216 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• History of ≥ 1 depressive episode(s)
• Currently in remission (≥ 3 months)
• Access to a computer with an internet connection

Exclusion criteria

• Ongoing depressive episode
• Psychotic disorder (current and/or previous)
• Neurological impairments (current and/or previous)
• Excessive substance abuse (current and/or previous)
• Use of antidepressant medication is allowed if kept at a constant level

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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216 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention group

Experimental group

Description:

Cognitive control training: The adaptive Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (aPASAT) is a Cognitive Control Training where participants need to click on the sum of the last two heard digits. Task difficulty is modified based on the participants' current task performance, allowing training of cognitive control. Five intervention groups will each receive a different amount of sessions.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Cognitive control training

Control group

No Intervention group

Description:

Waitlist control group: Participants randomized to the control group will not perform the cognitive control training during the study, but will be given the opportunity to follow the training afterwards.