NCT03492203

Brief Summary

Major depressive disorder is the number one cause of disability worldwide. Evidence regarding the effectiveness of various treatments for patients with severe depression is still lacking. Although many patients achieve treatment response, only a minority of patients achieve full remission and even fewer sustain it. In fact, within one month 10% will be re-hospitalized and the rate climbs to 30% within a year. Further, remission from depressive symptoms is a surprisingly poor predictor of recovery of community functioning following discharge. It is clear that the traditional focus on diagnostic symptoms is insufficient for promoting a full return to everyday functioning. The present aim is to examine the efficacy and effectiveness of treating neurocognition, a symptom that explains persistent deficits in community functioning for those with depression. The study design that maps on to the contemporary clinical setting, in order to reflect the changing landscape of inpatient and community treatment.

Trial Health

43
At Risk

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Trial has exceeded expected completion date
Enrollment
75

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Dec 2016

Typical duration for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
unknown

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

December 1, 2016

Completed
23 days until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

December 24, 2016

Completed
1.3 years until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

April 10, 2018

Completed
1.2 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

July 1, 2019

Completed
6 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

January 1, 2020

Completed
Last Updated

August 29, 2018

Status Verified

August 1, 2018

Enrollment Period

2.6 years

First QC Date

December 24, 2016

Last Update Submit

August 27, 2018

Conditions

Keywords

Cognitive RemediationNeurocognitionSevere mental illnessRemote treatment

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Changes in composite neurocognition scores from the CNS Vitals Signs battery

    Neurocognitive Measure

    Participants will be tested at baseline, and assessed for changes at 12 weeks (post-intervention, intermediate intervention, or sham, respectively), and assessed for changes at 6 months post-intervention.

Secondary Outcomes (8)

  • Virtual Reality Functional Capacity Test

    Participants will be tested at baseline, and assessed for changes at 12 weeks (post-intervention, intermediate intervention, or sham, respectively), and assessed for changes at 6 months post-intervention.

  • Composite neurocognition score from the CNS Vitals Signs battery

    Participants will be tested at baseline, and assessed for changes at 12 weeks (post-intervention, intermediate intervention, or sham, respectively), and assessed for changes at 6 months post-intervention.

  • World Health Organization Quality of Life

    Participants will be tested at baseline, and assessed for changes at 12 weeks (post-intervention, intermediate intervention, or sham, respectively), and assessed for changes at 6 months post-intervention.

  • Bell-Lysaker Emotion Recognition Task

    Participants will be tested at baseline, and assessed for changes at 12 weeks (post-intervention, intermediate intervention, or sham, respectively), and assessed for changes at 6 months post-intervention.

  • Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale

    Participants will be tested at baseline, and assessed for changes at 12 weeks (post-intervention, intermediate intervention, or sham, respectively), and assessed for changes at 6 months post-intervention.

  • +3 more secondary outcomes

Study Arms (3)

Active Cognitive Remediation -Long-term

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in the long-term treatment will receive 24 weeks of active cognitive remediation. Participants will complete 24 weeks of on-line computer exercises and participate in an on-line forum to facilitate strategy monitoring and bridging strategies.

Behavioral: Active Cognitive RemediationBehavioral: Online computer exercisesBehavioral: Strategy monitoringBehavioral: Bridging strategies

Active Cognitive Remediation -Short-term

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants in the short-term treatment will receive 12 weeks of active cognitive remediation (the standard length of time in the literature). Participants will complete 12 weeks of on-line computer exercises and participate in an on-line forum to facilitate strategy monitoring and bridging strategies.

Behavioral: Active Cognitive RemediationBehavioral: Online computer exercisesBehavioral: Strategy monitoringBehavioral: Bridging strategies

Cognitive Remediation Control

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Participants in the comparison training group will login to the same training environment but the cognitive load will not adjust as it does in the experimental conditions. Participants in this group will complete 12 weeks of on-line computer exercises.

Behavioral: Cognitive Remediation ControlBehavioral: Online computer exercisesBehavioral: Strategy monitoringBehavioral: Bridging strategies

Interventions

Cognitive remediation engages participants in computerized exercises meant to improve cognitive functions and provides therapist feedback for how these improvements manifest in everyday life. The novel components of CR in this study will be the delivery of treatment remotely.

Active Cognitive Remediation -Long-termActive Cognitive Remediation -Short-term

The investigators have developed a 'comparison' cognitive remediation treatment in collaboration with the same company that produced the cognitive exercises. These procedures include the same stimuli but are adjusted without increasing cognitive load.

Cognitive Remediation Control

There are 30 unique cognitive exercises in the program (sbtpro.com). The investigators will prescribe 24 exercises in the domains most commonly impaired in MDD: six targeting executive functions, ten targeting memory, and eight targeting attention and working memory. The specific activities are prescribed in a fixed, systematic order, such that the participants have a schedule of exercises that address several different cognitive domains each week and return to exercises in subsequent weeks. Parameters are automatically adjusted based on participant performance across 30 difficulty levels. Participants are prescribed two 20-minute sessions per day, five days per week, for the duration of the study.

Active Cognitive Remediation -Long-termActive Cognitive Remediation -Short-termCognitive Remediation Control

Therapists communicate with participants in asynchronous private and group forums, where specific responses to questions prime flexible strategy formation, monitoring of strategies, and bridging to real world functioning. Participants use logs to track their own strategies and upload this information to the forum for therapist feedback. The purpose of the therapist responses is to reinforce the development of multiple strategies and help supplement or reshape those that are concrete, based on a predetermined list of strategies developed for each of the computer exercises.

Active Cognitive Remediation -Long-termActive Cognitive Remediation -Short-termCognitive Remediation Control

The online forum will have illustrations for bridging cognitive abilities and problem solving strategies related to each game to experiences in the real world. An at home workbook will also be used to facilitate active application of skills in various domains (e.g., work, socialization, recreation, household maintenance).

Active Cognitive Remediation -Long-termActive Cognitive Remediation -Short-termCognitive Remediation Control

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 60 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64)

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Queen's University

Kingston, Ontario, K7L3N6, Canada

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Depressive Disorder, MajorMental Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Depressive DisorderMood Disorders

Study Officials

  • Christopher R Bowie, Ph D CPsych

    Queen's University

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Tammy L Vanrooy, BA Hons Law

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
DOUBLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Professor

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

December 24, 2016

First Posted

April 10, 2018

Study Start

December 1, 2016

Primary Completion

July 1, 2019

Study Completion

January 1, 2020

Last Updated

August 29, 2018

Record last verified: 2018-08

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations