NCT02119949

Working Memory Training for Substance Dependent Individuals

A Randomized Double-blind Placebo-controlled Trial to Working Memory Training in Substance Abusers

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 180 (actual)
• Sponsor: Erasmus Medical Center · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 16 Years – 67 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Background: Substance abusers show impaired working memory (WM) functioning. Promising findings show training WM results in an improved working memory capacity (WMC) and a decrease of clinical symptoms in a range of disorders, including alcohol addiction. Aim: To test the effect of a WM training in addition to treatment as usual (TAU) on substance use, craving, WMC, impulsivity, attention bias and psychopathology. Design: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial with a parallel group design. The WM training adapted to participants' WMC whereas the placebo training consisted of non-adaptive easy versions of these tasks. Setting: Two departments of an addiction treatment clinic in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Participants: 120 inpatients diagnosed with an alcohol, cannabis or cocaine dependency who were in treatment as usual . Measurements: Primary outcome measures: Substance use and craving. Secondary outcome measures: WMC, impulsivity, attention bias and psychopathology. Participants were assessed before and after 24 sessions of WM training as well as two months after the training.

Conditions

• Substance Dependency
• Addiction
• Anxiety
• Depression

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Working memory training	The working memory training started the day after the pre-test and included 24 sessions of 25 minutes each. Participants trained, under supervision of an experimenter, on weekdays in the clinic. The training consisted of two tasks: the Symmetry Span and the N-back Task. Participants in the experimental group executed versions of these task that adapt to their working memory capacity, to train their working memory optimally.
BEHAVIORAL	Placebo training	The working memory training started the day after the pre-test and included 24 sessions of 25 minutes each. Participants trained, under supervision of an experimenter, on weekdays in the clinic. The training consisted of two tasks: the Symmetry Span and the N-back Task. Participants in the placebo group executed easy versions of these task that did not adapt to their level, to prevent training.

Timeline

• Start date: 2012-05-01
• Primary completion: 2014-06-01
• Completion: 2014-06-01
• First posted: 2014-04-22
• Last updated: 2014-08-21

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Netherlands