Working Memory Training for Dysphoric Students

Working Memory Training to Decrease Depression, Anxiety and Rumination in Dysphoric Students

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.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Depression
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Working memory training; Behavioral: Placebo training

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 94
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Netherlands
  • Zuid Holland
    • Rotterdam, Zuid Holland, Netherlands, 3000 DR
      • Erasmus University Rotterdam

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 17 years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• BDI 10 of higher for dysphoric group
• BDI 5 or lower for healthy control group

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Working memory training; Participants executed the training for three weeks, three times a week, half an hour per session. The training was a game in which the participant was a person who had to become strong to fight with a fantasy figure. The person could become stronger when giving the right answers in eight different working memory tasks. The level adapted to the working memory capacity of the participant.	Behavioral: Working memory training
Placebo Comparator: Placebo training; Participants executed the training for three weeks, three times a week, half an hour per session. The training was a game in which the participant was a person who had to become strong to fight with a fantasy figure. The person could become stronger when giving the right answers in eight different working memory tasks. The level in the placebo condition was easy and did not adapt to the working memory capacity of the participant.	Behavioral: Placebo training

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Beck Depression Inventory Second Edition (BDI-II) score change between pre and post measurement	Depression is measured with the BDI-II	Pre training (baseline), post training (4 weeks after baseline, training starts 1 day after baseline)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) scores change from pre to post training measurement	The STAI measures state, trait and total anxiety	Pre training (baseline), post training (4 weeks after baseline, training starts 1 day after baseline)

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Ruminative Response Scale (RRS) score change between pre and post training	The RRS measures rumination	Pre training (baseline), post training (4 weeks after baseline, training starts 1 day after baseline)
Spanboard task	The Spanboard task measures working memory capacity	Pre training (baseline), post training (4 weeks after baseline, training starts 1 day after baseline)
N-back task	The n-back task was assessed while participants pupil dilation was measured with the eyetracker. The aim of this measurement was to measure fatigue.	Pre training (baseline), post training (6 weeks after baseline, training starts 1 day after baseline)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Erasmus Medical Center

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Hopstaken JF, Wanmaker S, van der Linden D, Bakker AB. Does Dysphoria Lead to Divergent Mental Fatigue Effects on a Cognitive Task? PLoS One. 2015 Jun 15;10(6):e0130304. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0130304. eCollection 2015.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: September 1, 2013
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 3, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 8, 2014
• First Posted (Estimate): July 9, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): July 9, 2014
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 8, 2014
• Last Verified: July 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Depression; Anxiety; Working memory; Cognitive training; Rumination; Executive functioning
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Mental Disorders; Mood Disorders; Depression; Depressive Disorder
• Other Study ID Numbers: Franken 5