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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT02119975

A Working Memory Training to Decrease Rumination in Depressed and Anxious Individuals

Dysfunctioning executive functioning, including working memory (WM), is related to rumination. Findings show that working memory capacity (WMC) can be increased by training. The current study explored by means of a double-blind randomized controlled trial whether an adaptive WM training could reduce rumination, anxiety and depression in a sample of 98 depressed and anxious individuals.

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Key information

Conditions

Major Depression Anxiety Disorder Anxiety Disorders Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Depression Depressive Disorder Depressive Disorder, Major Digestive System Diseases Feeding and Eating Disorders Gastrointestinal Diseases Mental Disorders Mood Disorders Rumination Syndrome

Age range

18 year–67 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Erasmus University Rotterdam

Rotterdam, South Holland, 3000 DR, Netherlands

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Major depression diagnosis
  • Anxiety diagnosis

Exclusion criteria

  • Current psychosis
  • Substance abuse

Treatment and study plan

Working memory training

Behavioral

Placebo training

Behavioral

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Ruminative Response Scale (RRS) score from pre to post training and after two months (follow up 2)

    Time frame: Pre training (baseline), post training (4 weeks after baseline, training starts 1 day after baseline) and follow-up (2 months after post-test)

    Dutch version; Raes, Hermans, & Eelen, 2003) measures the frequency of self-reported rumination behavior, with answer options ranging from 1 (never) to 4 (always). The total score of the 22 items was used in the analyses.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Beck Depression Inventory Second Edition (BDI-II) score from pre to post training and after two months (follow up 2)

    Time frame: Pre training (baseline), post training (4 weeks after baseline, training starts 1 day after baseline) and follow-up (2 months after post-test)

    The Beck Depression Inventory - II (BDI-II; Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996; Dutch version: Van der Does, 2002) measures the severity of depression symptoms of the last two weeks.

  2. Change in State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) score from pre to post training and after two months (follow up 2)

    Time frame: Pre training (baseline), post training (4 weeks after baseline, training starts 1 day after baseline) and follow-up (2 months after post-test)

    The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI; Spielberger, Gorsuch, Lushene, Vagg, & Jacobs, 1983, Dutch version; Van der Ploeg, Defares, & Spielberger, 1979) measures self-reported anxiety, divided in state anxiety and trait anxiety.

Other outcomes

  1. The change in Internal Shift Task (IST) score from pre to post training and to follow up (two months after post)

    Time frame: Pre training (baseline), post training (4 weeks after baseline, training starts 1 day after baseline) and follow-up (2 months after post-test)

    The Internal Shift Task (IST; De Lissnyder et al., 2012) measures the ability to shift attention between items stored in WM.

  2. The change in Digit Span score from pre to post training and to follow up (two months after post)

    Time frame: Pre training (baseline), post training (4 weeks after baseline, training starts 1 day after baseline) and follow-up (2 months after post-test)

    The Digit Span (Lumley & Calhoun, 1934), which consist of two parts: the forward and backward span, with 14 trials each. The forward Digit Span is a frequently used measure for short term memory, an important subcomponent of the memory system (Shipstead et al., 2012) and the backward version measures WM.

  3. The change in Reading Span partial-credit unit score from pre to post training and to follow up (two months after post)

    Time frame: Pre training (baseline), post training (4 weeks after baseline, training starts 1 day after baseline) and follow-up (2 months after post-test)

    The Reading Span (Daneman & Carpenter, 1980), the third WMC assessment, measures the processing and storage functions of the WM (Shipstead et al., 2012).

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Erasmus Medical Center

Other

Registry information

Official study title

A Working Memory Training to Decrease Rumination in Depressed and Anxious Individuals: A Double-blind Randomized Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2011
Primary completion
2011
First posted
Apr 22, 2014
Registry last updated
Apr 22, 2014

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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