NCT04631939

Metacognitive Training as a Serious Game

Metacognitive Training as a Serious Game: A New Approach for the Treatment of Delusions

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 36 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Christina Andreou · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 40 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The project aims to evaluate the efficacy of a therapeutic video game that incorporates elements from metacognitive training on delusions and jumping-to-conclusions in patients with psychotic disorders.

Detailed description

The study is an international, multicenter study and is being conducted in Switzerland (University of Basel) as well as in Germany (University of Lübeck). A total of 36 participants will be included. The estimated duration of the study is 15 months. All participants play a video game from the genre "Third Person Adventure". A character is navigated through a fantasy world using a keyboard and mouse. In the fantasy world, "stations" in the form of glowing gems are sought where players have to solve different tasks. Participants are randomized to receive either the therapeutic video game with metacognitive training content or another video game with attention and memory tasks ("control intervention"). The control intervention does not include metacognitive tasks. Metacognitive training is an approach for the treatment of psychotic disorders, particularly delusions. The focus of metacognitive training is on thought distortions (so-called "cognitive biases") that are more pronounced in people with psychosis. The control intervention includes easily understandable, playful tasks. The intervention will take 4 appointments within 2 weeks.

Conditions

• Schizophrenia and Related Disorders
• Psychotic Disorders
• Delusions

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Metacognitive training game	In the fantasy world "Macu'ta", players explore the world by walking around with an avatar in order to find the puzzles and proceed in the game. The intervention consists of 4 different puzzles. Unbeknownst to the player, the first pieces of evidence of each puzzle are often misleading, i.e. indicate the wrong solution, such that hasty decisions are punished. Players receive immediate feedback and are shown the correct response after submitting their solution, as well as explicit cues that educate them on the value of making adequately informed decisions. The order of the puzzles is fixed for each player, but different per session.
DEVICE	Control games	In the fantasy world "Macu'ta", players explore the world by walking around with an avatar in order to find the puzzles and proceed in the game. The control intervention consists of 4 different puzzle games requiring exclusively dexterity and accuracy (i.e., not including any metacognitive elements). The order of the puzzles is fixed for each player, but different per session.

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-06-01
• Primary completion: 2023-12-01
• Completion: 2023-12-01
• First posted: 2020-11-17
• Last updated: 2023-05-10

Locations

2 sites across 2 countries: Germany, Switzerland