Enhancing Transdiagnostic Mechanisms of Cognitive Dyscontrol (R33)
Purpose
The proposed project aims to test the cognitive and neural effects of a cognitive training in a sample of individuals seeking treatment for anxiety, depression, or traumatic stress symptoms. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. Group 1 will receive a computer-based program that is designed as a cognitive training intervention and Group 2 will receive a similar computer-based exercise that researchers think will be less effective in training thinking skills (also known as a control or sham condition). Participants will be compared on cognitive performance and brain response during cognitive tasks from baseline to post-treatment.
Conditions
- Anxiety Disorders
- Depression
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Eligibility
- Eligible Ages
- Between 21 Years and 55 Years
- Eligible Genders
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria
- age 21-55 - fluent in English - diagnosis of mood, anxiety, or traumatic stress disorder - clinically elevated repetitive negative thinking - outpatient status - 6-week stability if taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medications
Exclusion Criteria
- past year diagnosis of severe alcohol or moderate or greater substance use disorder - lifetime history of psychotic or bipolar I disorder - acute suicidality necessitating immediate clinical intervention - neurodegenerative or neurodevelopmental disorders - history of moderate or severe traumatic brain injury or other known neurological condition - sensory deficits that would preclude completing tasks - conditions unsafe for completing MRI scanning (e.g., metal in body) - current pregnancy - currently receiving psychosocial treatment - currently receiving psychiatric pharmacotherapy, except SSRIs
Study Design
- Phase
- Phase 2/Phase 3
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel Assignment
- Primary Purpose
- Treatment
- Masking
- Double (Participant, Outcomes Assessor)
Arm Groups
| Arm | Description | Assigned Intervention |
|---|---|---|
|
Experimental COGENT - Cognitive Training Intervention Program |
Computer-administered cognitive training program. COGENT is a modified working memory capacity task designed to train cognitive functioning. COGENT was designed to contain high interference across trials. By requiring repeated practice with utilization of interference control across trials, COGENT is thought to enhance plasticity of cognitive systems and improve performance. That is, training is based on the premise that learning-based neural changes will occur via repeated exposure to a task demanding cognitive control resources |
|
|
Sham Comparator Non-Training Program |
The non-training condition requires participants to complete a similar computer task for the same length of time. The non-training is a modified working memory capacity task designed to be inert. The non-training condition was designed to contain relatively less interference demands across trials. |
|
Recruiting Locations
More Details
- Status
- Recruiting
- Sponsor
- University of California, San Diego
Detailed Description
Mood, anxiety, and traumatic stress disorders are common psychiatric conditions - affecting over 40 million U.S. adults - and are leading causes of disability worldwide. People with these conditions are commonly plagued by difficulty controlling distressing personal thoughts and memories, collectively referred to as repetitive negative thinking symptoms. Models suggest that repetitive negative thinking is driven by executive functioning deficits, such that cognitive resources are insufficient to downregulate unwanted thoughts. Executive functioning deficits could be a promising treatment target but are not typically addressed with existing interventions. The long-term goal advanced by this project is to develop effective, mechanistic cognitive training programs that can improve cognition and reduce symptoms associated with mood, anxiety, and traumatic stress disorders. The objectives of this proposal is to evaluate the cognitive effects of the optimized computer-based cognitive training intervention relative to a sham training program (ST). The central hypothesis is that the cognitive training intervention will enhance executive functioning and will lead to a reduction of repetitive negative thinking in mood, anxiety, and traumatic stress disorders. The project will randomize participants with depression, anxiety, and/or traumatic stress disorders to a cognitive training intervention program or a sham training program. The investigators will examine executive functioning change with cognitive task performance and functional neuroimaging assessments.
