Cognitive Training as an Adjunct to Ketamine in Real-world Clinics

Purpose

In a sample of patients already receiving ketamine treatment as part of their clinical care, this project seeks to test whether we can enhance and/or extend ketamine's rapid effects by introducing helpful information delivered by a computer-based cognitive training protocol. This work could ultimately lead to the ability to treat depression more efficiently and with broader dissemination by rapidly priming the brain for helpful forms of learning.

Condition

  • Depression

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 18 Years and 80 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  1. be between the ages of 18 and 80 years 2. score ≥20 on the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) 3. per SCID-5-RV interview, meet DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for at least one of the following: Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder (I or II), Persistent Depressive Disorder, or Other Specified Depressive or Bipolar Disorder 4. exhibit treatment resistance, defined as: failure to respond to ≥2 adequate trials of an FDA-approved antidepressant medication [per the Antidepressant Treatment History Form-Short Form (ATHF-SF)] within the current episode (for unipolar depression) and/or failure to respond to two adequate mood stabilizer treatment trials (for bipolar depression patients) 5. be eligible and clinically enrolled for upcoming IV ketamine at one of our study clinics according to that clinic's standard intake procedures 6. agree to maintain a stable schedule of concomitant psychiatric medications throughout the ketamine induction phase (minor adjustments to PRN meds and timing of meds are allowable), and for 4 weeks post-induction phase 7. possess a level of judgment and understanding sufficient to agree to all procedures required by the protocol and must sign an informed consent document 8. be willing and able to provide names and contact information for at least 1 additional emergency contact in the patient's proximal geographic area (in addition to the ketamine treatment team at the enrolling site)

Exclusion Criteria

  1. Presence of current/acute psychosis, mania, moderate-severe substance/alcohol use disorder, or dementia, or a diagnosis of developmental disorder with significant language and/or intellectual impairment (e.g., autism spectrum disorder) 2. Current/acute suicide risk with intent to act, defined as CSSRS past-week ideation score ≥ 4 among outpatients; patients engaged in residential or inpatient care at the time of enrollment need not meet this CSSRS score criterion, as their current/acute suicide risk is extremely low by virtue of the residential/inpatient, round-the-clock care they are already receiving at time of enrollment 3. Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) < 24 4. Current pregnancy or breastfeeding 5. English reading level <5th grade as per WRAT-3 reading subtest Rationale: to ensure adequate reading comprehension for verbal ASAT/sham stimuli which are presented in English

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Cognitive Training
Web-based cognitive training
  • Behavioral: Cognitive Training
    Sessions of cognitive training exercises (15-20min each) self-administered via a web app
Sham Comparator
Sham Training
Web-based sham training
  • Behavioral: Sham Training
    Sessions of sham training exercises (15-20min each) self-administered via a web app

Recruiting Locations

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
University of Pittsburgh

Study Contact

Rebecca B Price, PhD
412-383-2150
ketclinics@pitt.edu