Short-term Cognitive Training in Late-life Depression

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the alternative uses training (AUT) and word association training (WAT) on cognitive functions and mood symptoms in late-life depression (LLD). The hypotheses are: post-training cognitive performance will be superior to pre-training cognitive performance post-training depressive symptomatology will be less severe as compared with pre-training clinical severity and AUT group will show better post-training cognitive performance and improved mood symptoms when compared with the WAT group.

Official Title
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The Effects of Short-term Cognitive Training on Cognition and Mood Symptoms in Late-life Depression: A Pilot Study

Conditions
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Depression

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Cognitive training


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Male or female Age >=55 Proficiency in English Current depressive episode and meet criteria for DSM-IV major depressive disorder Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score >=15 Able to give informed consent Stable medication dosages during the training period Exclusion Criteria: Other DSM-IV Axis I psychiatric disorders, except for anxiety disorders due to high comorbidity with mood disorders Mini-Mental State Examination score of <26 Diagnosis of dementia Neurological and medical conditions known to affect cognition (e.g., stroke, head injury, previous chemotherapy for cancer) Unstable medical illnesses requiring active treatment Vision or hearing impairment affecting ability to participate in training

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 55 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Triple


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Other: Alternative Uses Training<br>In this task, subjects are asked to produce atypical and alternative uses for common daily objects. | Behavioral: Cognitive training<br>* 20 minutes/day for 5 sequential working days<br>* Other names: cognitive intervention;|
| Other: Word Association Training<br>In this task, subjects are asked to generate the first word that comes to their mind, and thus, encourages more general and spontaneous divergent thinking. | Behavioral: Cognitive training<br>* 20 minutes/day for 5 sequential working days<br>* Other names: cognitive intervention;|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Changes in cognitive functions including fluid intelligence, executive function, language, memory and motor speed | Computerized Executive Tasks: Number-Letter Task Letter-Memory Task Stroop Task Non-Computerized Measures: Cattell Culture Fair Intelligence Test Mattis Dementia Rating Scale-2 (DRS-2) | Within 3 days before the first cognitive training day and within 3 days after the last cognitive training day | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Changes in mood including depression, anxiety and apathy | Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES) Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (Ham-A) Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) | Within 3 days before the first cognitive training day and within 3 days after the last cognitive training day | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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depression, intervention studies