The Role of Cognitive Control in the Transdiagnostic Conceptualization of "Intrusive Thoughts"

Major Depressive Disorder Clinical Trial

Official title: The Role of Cognitive Control in the Transdiagnostic Conceptualization of "Intrusive Thoughts"

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

The investigators are examining whether difficulties with cognitive control (i.e., the ability to stop one's thought process and shift attention) is a common problem across three types of repetitive, negative thinking: obsessions (as seen in obsessive compulsive disorder, OCD), worries (as seen in generalized anxiety disorder, GAD), and ruminations (as seen in major depressive disorder, MDD).

Clinical Trial Description

The primary aims of this study are to utilize self-report and behavioral measures to examine whether cognitive control is a common factor across three types of repetitive negative thinking (RNT): obsessions in OCD, worries in GAD, and ruminations in MDD. Specifically, the investigators aim to test whether individuals with obsessions, worries, and depressive ruminations demonstrate impaired cognitive control on executive functioning neuropsychological tasks (i.e., response inhibition, set shifting, attentional disengagement) relative to individuals without any psychiatric diagnoses. Additionally, the investigators will examine whether these deficits are associated with self-report measures of RNT as well as in vivo responding during a laboratory paradigm designed to induce intrusive thinking. Findings could inform psychological treatment of these problematic intrusions using novel transdiagnostic approaches. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Anxiety Disorders
• Depressive Disorder
• Depressive Disorder, Major
• Disease
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• Major Depressive Disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

• NCT number: NCT03414619
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Massachusetts General Hospital
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: May 18, 2018
• Completion date: March 6, 2020