Depression
Conditions
Keywords
Depression, Anxiety, Working memory, Rumination, Cognitive training, Executive functioning
Brief summary
Depression is associated with impairments in executive functions, including working memory (WM) which is needed to maintain and manipulate goal-relevant information. Due to these WM impairments depressed individuals have difficulties inhibiting and shifting from irrelevant (negative) information and updating goal relevant information. This study explored whether training WM decreases these impairments and reduces clinical symptoms of depression, anxiety and rumination. Sixty-one students with an elevated score on the BDI-II, representing a dysphoric mood state, executed a working memory training (n = 34) or placebo training (n = 27). Before and after training their depression, anxiety, rumination and working memory were assessed. Furthermore, they executed a working memory task while their pupil dilation was measured to assess their fatigue. Moreover, the investigators compared the dysphoric students with a healthy student population on all measures.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALWorking memory training
BEHAVIORALPlacebo training
Sponsors
Erasmus Medical Center
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
17 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* BDI 10 of higher for dysphoric group * BDI 5 or lower for healthy control group
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Beck Depression Inventory Second Edition (BDI-II) score change between pre and post measurement | Pre training (baseline), post training (4 weeks after baseline, training starts 1 day after baseline) | Depression is measured with the BDI-II |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) scores change from pre to post training measurement | Pre training (baseline), post training (4 weeks after baseline, training starts 1 day after baseline) | The STAI measures state, trait and total anxiety |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ruminative Response Scale (RRS) score change between pre and post training | Pre training (baseline), post training (4 weeks after baseline, training starts 1 day after baseline) | The RRS measures rumination |
| Spanboard task | Pre training (baseline), post training (4 weeks after baseline, training starts 1 day after baseline) | The Spanboard task measures working memory capacity |
| N-back task | Pre training (baseline), post training (6 weeks after baseline, training starts 1 day after baseline) | The n-back task was assessed while participants pupil dilation was measured with the eyetracker. The aim of this measurement was to measure fatigue. |
Countries
Netherlands
Outcome results
None listed