NCT02184481

Working Memory Training for Dysphoric Students

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

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 94 (actual)
• Sponsor: Erasmus Medical Center · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 17 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

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.

Conditions

• Depression

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Working memory training
BEHAVIORAL	Placebo training

Timeline

• Start date: 2013-09-01
• Primary completion: 2014-06-01
• First posted: 2014-07-09
• Last updated: 2014-07-09

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Netherlands