A Validation Study of the Neuro-cognitive Emotion Monitoring-Intervention (NEMO-I) Application in Adolescents

This study aims to evaluate the validity and effectiveness of NEMO-I (Neuro-cognitive Emotion Monitoring-Intervention), a mobile application designed to help adolescents monitor and manage their cognitive and emotional functioning in everyday settings. NEMO-I delivers evidence-based psychological techniques-such as mindfulness, self-regulation training, and emotion monitoring-in a gamified format consisting of seven brief activities that users can complete at home in about 10 minutes each.

A total of 140 middle and high school students will participate. Participants will complete standardized neuropsychological and psychological assessments before and after the intervention period. During the 21-day intervention period, participants will use the NEMO-I application at home each day at their convenience (a minimum of 10 minutes per day is recommended). By comparing pre- and post-intervention assessment results, this study seeks to determine whether the application produces meaningful benefits for adolescent mental health and to establish its suitability as a digital mental health tool.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Adolescent - Emotional Problem; Cognition Improvement; Adolescent Mental Health
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: NEMO-I (Neuro-cognitive Emotion Monitoring-Intervention)

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 140
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Myeongjie Im, MA; Phone Number: +82-10-2588-0859; Email: imj@swu.ac.kr

Study Locations

• South Korea
  • Seoul
    • Seoul, Seoul, South Korea, 01797
      • Seoul Women's University
      • Contact: Myeongjie Im, MA; Phone Number: +82-10-2588-0859; Email: imj@swu.ac.kr
      • Principal Investigator: Hyunjoo Song, PhD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Middle or high school students currently enrolled in school
• Using an Android-based smartphone
• Voluntary agreement to participate, with consent from a legal guardian

Exclusion Criteria:

• Borderline intellectual functioning or intellectual disability (IQ below 80)
• Visual or hearing impairment
• Prior diagnosis of intellectual, visual, or hearing impairment

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: NEMO-I Intervention Group; Participants in this single-arm study use the NEMO-I mobile application at home for 21 days, at their convenience each day (a minimum of 10 minutes per day is recommended). Cognitive and emotional outcomes are assessed before and after the intervention period.

Behavioral: NEMO-I (Neuro-cognitive Emotion Monitoring-Intervention); NEMO-I is a mobile application that delivers evidence-based psychological techniques in a gamified format. It consists of seven brief activities-including facial expression imitation, singing, breathing and stretching with nature sounds, reading tips for everyday concerns, rhythm-based instrument play, room decoration, and mindfulness-each designed to be completed at home in about 10 minutes. Participants use the application daily during the 21-day intervention period, at their convenience, with a recommended minimum of 10 minutes per day.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in depressive symptoms	Depressive symptoms are measured using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), a 21-item self-report questionnaire. Total scores range from 0 to 63, with higher scores indicating more severe depressive symptoms. Change is assessed by comparing pre- and post-intervention scores.	Baseline (pre-intervention) and after the 21-day intervention period
Change in inhibitory control (Color-Word Stroop Test, CWST)	Inhibitory control is assessed using the Color-Word Stroop Test (CWST), which measures the efficiency of the frontal-lobe inhibition process. Performance is indexed by response time and error rate under the color-word interference condition. Change is assessed by comparing pre- and post-intervention performance.	Baseline(pre-intervention) and after the 21-day intervention period
Change in anxiety symptoms	Anxiety symptoms are measured using the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), a 21-item self-report questionnaire assessing the severity of anxiety-related symptoms. Higher scores indicate greater anxiety. Change is assessed by comparing pre- and post-intervention scores.	Baseline(pre-intervention) and after the 21-day intervention period
Change in neuro-cognitive and emotional function (NEMO-A)	Neuro-cognitive and emotional function is assessed using the NEMO-A (Neuro-cognitive Emotion Monitoring-Assessment) application, a tablet-based, game-format assessment consisting of five subtasks. It measures domains including sustained attention, working memory, emotional sensitivity, emotion processing and recognition, audiovisual emotional integration, cognitive control, and executive function. Performance is indexed by accuracy and response time, and change is assessed by comparing pre- and post-intervention performance.	Baseline (pre-intervention) and after the 21-day intervention period
Change in visual attention and processing speed (Children's Color Trails Test, CCTT)	Visual attention, psychomotor speed, sequential processing, and divided/sustained visual attention are assessed using the Children's Color Trails Test (CCTT). Performance is indexed by completion time (seconds). Change is assessed by comparing pre- and post-intervention performance.	Baseline (pre-intervention) and after the 21-day intervention period
Change in set-shifting ability (Trail Making Test-B, TMT-B)	Set-shifting ability and cognitive flexibility are assessed using the Trail Making Test-B (TMT-B), which requires alternating between numbers and letters in sequence. Performance is indexed by completion time (seconds). Change is assessed by comparing pre- and post-intervention performance.	Baseline (pre-intervention) and after the 21-day intervention period

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in subjective stress	Subjective stress is measured using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS), on which participants rate their current perceived stress level from 1 (no stress) to 10 (extreme stress).	Baseline (pre-intervention) and after the 21-day intervention period
Change in daily stress	Daily stress is measured using a 26-item self-report scale assessing stress experienced in everyday domains such as parents, school, academics, peer relationships, appearance, and finances, rated on a 5-point Likert scale.	Baseline(pre-intervention) and after the 21-day intervention period
Change in alexithymia	Difficulty identifying and describing one's own emotions is measured using the Korean version of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20K), rated on a 5-point Likert scale.	Baseline (pre-intervention) and after the 21-day intervention period
Change in executive function difficulties (self-report)	Self-reported executive function difficulties are measured using the Brief Self-Report Questionnaire of Executive Function Difficulty for children and adolescents (40 items), rated on a 3-point Likert scale.	Baseline (pre-intervention) and after the 21-day intervention period
Change in peer relationship quality	The quality of peer relationships is measured using a 13-item self-report scale rated on a 4-point Likert scale, including items reflecting conflict and negative peer interactions.	Baseline (pre-intervention) and after the 21-day intervention period
Change in problem behaviors (CBCL 6-18, parent report)	Problem behaviors are assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 6-18 (CBCL 6-18), completed by a parent or primary caregiver. It includes internalizing problems (e.g., anxiety, depression, somatic complaints) and externalizing problems (e.g., rule-breaking, aggressive behavior).	Baseline (pre-intervention) and after the 21-day intervention period
Change in ADHD symptoms (ARS, parent report)	Attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms are assessed using the ADHD Rating Scale (ARS), an 18-item parent-report questionnaire comprising inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity subscales.	Baseline (pre-intervention) and after the 21-day intervention period

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Seoul Women's University
• Collaborators: Korea Health Industry Development Institute; Ministry of Health & Welfare, Korea
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Hyunjoo Song, PhD, Seoul Women's University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): July 10, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): February 28, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): April 30, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 2, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 8, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): July 14, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 14, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 8, 2026
• Last Verified: July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: cognitive function; adolescents; emotion; Digital mental health intervention; mobile based intervention; NEMO-I
• Other Study ID Numbers: SWU-2605-004; RS-2022-KH126068 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Individual participant data will not be shared with other researchers, as participants and their legal guardians were informed during the informed consent process that collected data would not be provided to third parties.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No