Games to Overcome Late Life Depression

University of Washington30 enrolled

Overview

This is a pilot study divided into two phases. IN phase 1 (completed) participants will be randomized to receive 8 weeks of Problem Solving Therapy (PST) alone or 8 weeks of a cognitive training game called, Evolution (Evo) plus clinical management. In Phase 2 (now recruiting), participants will be randomized to Evo, PST, and a different cognitive training program called Words. Words is similar to Evo in that it is an adaptive training program and includes case management. IN both studies participants will be assessed for clinical and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) outcomes at baseline, 4 weeks and 8 weeks.

Evo is a computer game that targets parts of the brain (i.e. the cognitive control network) that we think may be associated with depressive symptoms. This study is exploratory and will inform future hypotheses the research team will test in subsequent research.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Major Depressive Disorder

Interventions

Problem Solving TherapyBEHAVIORAL

Problem solving therapy is an evidence based behavioral intervention for late life depression. It consist of 8 weekly session of talk therapy, whereby the therapist helps the patient solve problems that are thought to be causing depressive symptoms.

EvolutionBEHAVIORAL

Evo is a video game that has therapeutic elements targeting the cognitive control network. Impairment in this neural network is associated with a specific subtype of late life depression that puts people at risk for poor response to SSRIs. Evo is built from a research grade training paradigm that has shown to induce improvements in this network in healthy older adults

WordsBEHAVIORAL

Words is a cognitively challenging crossword/word search type of video game that will serve as the control condition for the second phase of this project

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 60 YearsMax age: 80 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Between 60-80 years of age 2. Meets criteria for Major Depressive Disorder 3. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) of 20 or greater 4. Mini Mental State Exam score of 24 or greater 5. Can speak and read English 6. Able to physically participate in the research protocol (e.g.: is not suffering from a terminal or highly disabling illness) 7. Can participate in MRI scans 8. Able to provide written informed consent Exclusion Criteria: 1. History of psychosis, mania, or currently using or abusing illicit drugs or alcohol 2. Diagnosis of dementia 3. Taking cognitive enhancers 4. Change in or newly began taking psychiatric medication within the last 6 months 5. Pacemaker 6. Metal in the body that cannot be removed 7. Color blind 8. Movement disorder that prevents participation -

Locations (1)

University of Washington Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Seattle, Washington, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change in depression over time

Hamilton Depression Rating Scale

Time frame: weeks 0, 4, 8, 24

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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