Clinical and Economic Evaluation of Neurocognitively-Enhanced Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

NCT ID: NCT04010643

Last Updated: 2019-12-18

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

UNKNOWN

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

134 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2018-10-24

Study Completion Date

2022-01-31

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

To evaluate the clinical efficacy of online cognitive behavioural therapy supplemented with online neurocognitive remediation therapy to improve mood and cognition, decrease relapse rates and optimise work and occupational functioning.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Depression is the most prevalent mental disorder with high relapse rates. Direct costs to Europe represent 1% of its total economy. Following usual treatment, mood improves or fully recovers but cognitive deficits often persist, preventing full return to normal social function. These deficits worsen with repeated depressive episodes and are a significant predictor of relapse. Preventing depression relapse remains one of the biggest therapeutic challenges in the field. While effective short-term therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), exist, all are associated with high relapse rates. Online neurocognitive remediation therapy (oNCRT), by its potential to rehabilitate impaired cognition in depression, offers an innovative solution to this mental health problem.

This trial aims to test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of neurocognitively enhanced online CBT to improve mood and cognition in depression, optimise everyday functioning and prevent depression relapse over six months follow-up, using a randomised active-control parallel-groups research design. Individuals presenting with at least mild depression (n=134) are randomly assigned to one of two treatment allocations: online CBT (oCBT) or neurocognitively enhanced online CBT (oCBT+oNCRT) for 20 one-hour sessions over 5 weeks (i.e., four weekly sessions).

Before randomisation and within a week of the final allocated session, mood, attention, memory and planning abilities will be assessed. All participants will be then followed for six-months to determine if the mood and cognitive benefits of the oCBT+oNCRT are maintained with the passage of time compared to the control group (oCBT alone). Standard measures of daily functioning (e.g., work ability, occupational function) and economic cost-effectiveness data will be obtained at the same time points. Demonstrating the oNCRT effectiveness as an adjunct to CBT will contribute towards optimising connected healthcare solutions for depression.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Depression

Keywords

Explore important study keywords that can help with search, categorization, and topic discovery.

online cognitive behavioural therapy online neurocognitive remediation memory sustained attention everyday occupational function economic evaluation

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

The study will be a two-group parallel-design randomised controlled trial comparing online cognitive behavioural therapy (oCBT) to oCBT enhanced with neurocognitive remediation for depression
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

online cognitive behavioural therapy (oCBT)

20 hours of online engagement with the oCBT programme over 5 weeks, distributed as follows.

Each week, the participants complete 1 hour of of the MoodGym program, followed by 2 hours of practical online CBT homework. To equate time and type of engagement spent in doing oCBT and oCBT+NCRT, 1 final hour per week is dedicated to completing online puzzles.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

online cognitive behavioural therapy

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

oCBT: MoodGym is a 5-week oCBT program developed by the Centre for Mental Health Research at the Australian National University. This program has been shown to be clinically effective at reducing mood symptoms in depression studies (see meta-analytical review of Twomey \& O'Reilly, 2017). MoodGym consists of a number of interactive modules to be completed sequentially and including work on own feelings, thoughts, methods to change dysfunctional thinking patterns, de-stressing, and relaxation. Each module is followed by an associated practical homework, while a personalised workbook allows the participant to track their mood profile and progress throughout the modules.

online neurocognitively-enhanced CBT (oCBT+oNCRT)

20 hours of online engagement with the oCBT+oNCRT programme over 5 weeks, distributed as follows.

Each week, the participants complete 1 hour of the MoodGym program, followed by 1 hour of practical online CBT homework \& 3 hours of the online NCRT programme Cognifit targeting attention, memory, and planning ability.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

online cognitive behavioural therapy

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

oCBT: MoodGym is a 5-week oCBT program developed by the Centre for Mental Health Research at the Australian National University. This program has been shown to be clinically effective at reducing mood symptoms in depression studies (see meta-analytical review of Twomey \& O'Reilly, 2017). MoodGym consists of a number of interactive modules to be completed sequentially and including work on own feelings, thoughts, methods to change dysfunctional thinking patterns, de-stressing, and relaxation. Each module is followed by an associated practical homework, while a personalised workbook allows the participant to track their mood profile and progress throughout the modules.

online neurocognitive remediation therapy

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

NCRT involves the behavioural application of structured exercises targeting neurocognitive processes by mobilising neuroplasticity that is the brain's ability to adjust its function in response to environmental change. Computerised NCRT has demonstrated efficacy to improve attention, working memory and global functioning in depression (Motter et al., 2016; Semkovska et al., 2015). NCRT is delivered through the Cognifit online programme. The Cognifit modules were selected as targeting remediation of neurocognitive domains known to be impaired in depression, i.e. selective and divided attention, visual and verbal working memory, and everyday planning (Hammar and Ardal, 2009; Semkovska et al., 2019).

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

online cognitive behavioural therapy

oCBT: MoodGym is a 5-week oCBT program developed by the Centre for Mental Health Research at the Australian National University. This program has been shown to be clinically effective at reducing mood symptoms in depression studies (see meta-analytical review of Twomey \& O'Reilly, 2017). MoodGym consists of a number of interactive modules to be completed sequentially and including work on own feelings, thoughts, methods to change dysfunctional thinking patterns, de-stressing, and relaxation. Each module is followed by an associated practical homework, while a personalised workbook allows the participant to track their mood profile and progress throughout the modules.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

online neurocognitive remediation therapy

NCRT involves the behavioural application of structured exercises targeting neurocognitive processes by mobilising neuroplasticity that is the brain's ability to adjust its function in response to environmental change. Computerised NCRT has demonstrated efficacy to improve attention, working memory and global functioning in depression (Motter et al., 2016; Semkovska et al., 2015). NCRT is delivered through the Cognifit online programme. The Cognifit modules were selected as targeting remediation of neurocognitive domains known to be impaired in depression, i.e. selective and divided attention, visual and verbal working memory, and everyday planning (Hammar and Ardal, 2009; Semkovska et al., 2019).

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* scoring a minimum of 14 on the BDI-II,
* internet access
* computer access
* English-speaking fluency

Exclusion Criteria

* scoring less than 14 on BDI
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Academisch Medisch Centrum - Universiteit van Amsterdam (AMC-UvA)

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Irish Research Council

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Inštitut za ekonomska raziskovanja (Institute for Economic Research, Slovenia)

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Limerick

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Southern Denmark

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Maria Semkovska

Principal Investigator of OPTM Study

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Maria Semkovska, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Southern Denmark

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

University of Southern Denmark

Odense, , Denmark

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

Ireland Denmark

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

SDU_MS_02

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id