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Online Cognitive Control Training for Remitted Depressed Individuals: A Replication and Extension Study

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Abstract

Background

Remitted depressed (RMD) individuals form a risk group for developing future depressive episodes. Improving cognitive control may reduce the risk to develop novel depressive symptoms, as beneficial effects of such training were demonstrated in RMD individuals.

Method

The current study attempted to replicate and extend these results. In this randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03278756), 68 RMD individuals were allocated to a cognitive control training or an active control condition, each comprised of 10 homework sessions dispersed over two weeks. Primary outcome measures were depressive symptomatology and rumination. Assessment took place before and after training and at 3 and 6 month follow-up.

Results

This study showed training-related cognitive transfer and mixed effects on indicators of subjective cognitive functioning, depressive- and anxiety symptoms, as well as broader residual complaints. In addition, we failed to observe previously reported beneficial effects of CCT on indicators of emotion regulation and resilience.

Conclusions

Given the partial replication of previously reported effects of cognitive control training in RMD, further research is needed.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Sara De Witte for her help with the telephone screening.

Funding

This research was supported by an Applied Biomedical (TBM) grant of the Agency for Innovation through Science and Technology (IWT), part of the Research Foundation–Flanders (FWO), awarded to the PrevenD project (B/14730/01). KH is a Postdoctoral Fellow of the FWO (FWO.3EO.2018.0031.01).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Jasmien Vervaeke, Kristof Hoorelbeke & Ernst H. W. Koster

  2. Imec-Mict-Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Jasmien Vervaeke

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Chris Baeken

  4. Department of Psychiatry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZBrussel), Brussels, Belgium

    Chris Baeken

  5. Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

    Chris Baeken

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  1. Jasmien Vervaeke
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  4. Ernst H. W. Koster
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Correspondence to Ernst H. W. Koster.

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Jasmien Vervaeke, Kristof Hoorelbeke, Chris Baeken and Ernst H.W. Koster declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Vervaeke, J., Hoorelbeke, K., Baeken, C. et al. Online Cognitive Control Training for Remitted Depressed Individuals: A Replication and Extension Study. Cogn Ther Res 45, 944–958 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-021-10238-0

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