Examining Cognitive Mechanisms of Clinical Improvement Following Mindfulness Based Therapy for Depressed Individuals

Examining Cognitive Mechanisms of Clinical Improvement Following Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Depressed Individuals

Depression one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Individuals suffering from depression typically exhibit impairments in various mental abilities, such as the ability to effectively direct and control attention and the ability to switch between thinking about different things and concepts (commonly referred to as "cognitive flexibility").

Mindfulness meditation training is a technique which involves focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. It has been well documented to improve depressive symptoms and prevent recurrence of depressive episodes, yet little is known about how mindfulness does so and what are the underlying mental mechanisms involved. Here the investigators propose to examine the efficacy of an 8-week mindfulness training program in improving the ability to direct and control attention, as well as in cognitive flexibility.

Individuals diagnosed with recurrent depression will undergo an 8-week mindfulness training program. Participants' depressive symptoms as well as their performance on measures of attention and cognitive flexibility will be examined. Participants will be assigned to mindfulness training or a wait-list control group. Half of the participants will be examined before and after the mindfulness training program and the other half will be tested 8-weeks apart and then begin their training.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Depression
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 52
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Massachusetts
    • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02129
      • Massachusetts General Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Reporting dysphoria for at least two months prior
• HAM-D score of at least 11
• No history of psychiatric disorders of psychotic features, neurological disorders, or substance abuse in the past 6 months
• Verified age between 18-65 years old
• Had no suicidal attempts during the past six months
• No prior experience with MBCT or other systematic meditation programs

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of psychosis, neurological disorder, and substance abuse for the past 6 months
• Suicide attempt in past 6 months
• Prior experience with MBCT or other systematic meditation program

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT); This group will receive 8 weeks of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy	Behavioral: Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy; 8 weekly meetings in which basic mindfulness and meditation skills are taught, such as breathing meditation, body scan meditation, open awareness meditation, movement meditation, and targeting depression related cognitions and emotions in a mindful manner, as well as awareness exercises, group discussions, and daily home meditation practice routines
Active Comparator: Waiting list; This group will be tested twice 8-10 weeks apart and then receive 8 weeks of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy	Behavioral: Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy; 8 weekly meetings in which basic mindfulness and meditation skills are taught, such as breathing meditation, body scan meditation, open awareness meditation, movement meditation, and targeting depression related cognitions and emotions in a mindful manner, as well as awareness exercises, group discussions, and daily home meditation practice routines

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Change from baseline in depressive symptoms as measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale	Once upon recruitment (baseline), and a second time at 8-10 weeks following the MBCT program
Change from baseline in cognitive flexibility, as measured by a computer task involving task-switching and by the Torrance Test for Creative Thinking	Once upon recruitment (baseline), and a second time at 8-10 weeks following the MBCT program
Change from baseline in attention regulation, as measured by the Attention Network Test	Once upon recruitment (baseline), and a second time at 8-10 weeks following the MBCT program

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital
• Collaborators: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jonathan Greenberg, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: April 1, 2015
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 1, 2016
• Study Completion (Actual): April 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 20, 2015
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 27, 2015
• First Posted (Estimated): May 29, 2015

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 20, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 18, 2024
• Last Verified: March 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Depression
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2014P002481; K23AT010653-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No