Dataset Information
Effects of working memory training on cognitive, affective, and biological responses to stress in major depression: A novel cognitive bias modification protocol.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
Over 320 million individuals are living with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), a leading cause of disability worldwide. Thus, there is a crucial need to identify processes that contribute to the maintenance of depressive episodes. Difficulty removing negative information from working memory (WM) is posited to exacerbate affective, cognitive, and biological dysregulation in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), but this has not yet been tested empirically.Methods
In this study we examined whether training depressed individuals to remove negative information from WM (RNI training) would reduce symptoms of depression and levels of rumination, and would be associated with attenuated biological responsivity to stress. Individuals diagnosed with MDD were randomly assigned to complete Real-RNI training or Sham-RNI training for six days.Results
Across conditions, participants exhibited significant improvements from pre- to post-training in removing negative information from WM, symptoms of depression, and rumination. Furthermore, participants in the Real-RNI condition showed a more attenuated pattern of cortisol and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) responses to stress than did participants in the Sham-RNI training condition.Limitations
We did not assess the long-term effects of training. It will be important for future research to examine whether the documented training-related effects persist across time.Conclusions
This study is the first to examine the effects of RNI training on clinical symptoms and biological responses to stress in MDD, and it provides experimental evidence that training individuals with depression to remove negative information from WM can help to modulate the heightened biological responses to stress seen in depression.
SUBMITTER: Jopling E
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7050386 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Effects of working memory training on cognitive, affective, and biological responses to stress in major depression: A novel cognitive bias modification protocol.
Journal of affective disorders 20200107
<h4>Background</h4>Over 320 million individuals are living with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), a leading cause of disability worldwide. Thus, there is a crucial need to identify processes that contribute to the maintenance of depressive episodes. Difficulty removing negative information from working memory (WM) is posited to exacerbate affective, cognitive, and biological dysregulation in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), but this has not yet been tested empirically.<h4>Methods</h4>In this stud ...[more]