Improving Attentional and Cognitive Control in the Psychological Treatment of Intrusive Thoughts

Major Depressive Disorder Clinical Trial

Official title: Targeting Attentional and Cognitive Control to Enhance the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Repetitive Negative Thinking

Status Recruiting

Clinical Trial Summary

The investigators are conducting this study to learn more about the cognitive and attentional processes among individuals with three types of repetitive negative thinking (RNT): mental rituals (as seen in obsessive compulsive disorder, OCD), worries (as seen in generalized anxiety disorder, GAD), and ruminations (as seen in major depressive disorder, MDD). Specifically, the investigators are studying whether psychological treatment can help people with RNT who have trouble stopping unwanted thoughts and shifting their attention.

Clinical Trial Description

The current study will examine whether enhancing attention regulation skills in a transdiagnostic intervention for repetitive negative thinking (RNT) will significantly improve the target of attentional/cognitive control. Participants will be randomly assigned (like the flip of a coin) to receive eight 60 minute sessions (over 8 weeks) of either: Emotion Regulation Therapy-Attention Regulation (AR-ERT) or Supportive Psychotherapy (SPT). The investigators will use a multi-method approach to measure attentional/cognitive control: (a) behavioral (i.e., eye tracking fixations and reaction time), (b) electrophysiological (i.e., event related potentials), and (c) self-report (i.e., perceived ability to shift and focus attention). They also will examine early signs of treatment efficacy of AR-ERT and SPT and target validation (i.e., whether changes in attentional/cognitive control correlate with changes in RNT and associated symptoms). Participants will receive assessments of these target and outcome measures at baseline (week 0), mid-treatment (week 4), post-treatment (week 8), and 3-month follow-up (week 20). While most of these procedures are conducted virtually (e.g., therapy sessions), some (e.g., eye tracking and electrophysiological assessments) will be performed in-person. Findings could help identify a cross-cutting target that can be engaged to optimize treatment response for individuals with elevated RNT. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

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

• NCT number: NCT04225624
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Massachusetts General Hospital
• Contact: Caroline Armstrong, B.A.
• Phone: 617-726-5592
• Email: attentionregulationstudy@partners.org
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: April 30, 2021
• Completion date: March 31, 2025