Assessing the Effects of a Neurobehavioral Intervention on Symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Interventions: Behavioral: Cognitive Control Training; Behavioral: Peripheral Vision Task

• Registration Number: NCT01414023
• Lead Sponsor: Boston University Charles River Campus

Brief Summary

This experiment will examine if the use of computerized tasks that train individuals to control their attention more effectively will predict individual differences in obsessive-compulsive symptoms, rumination and BDNF change. After giving consent, filling out self-report forms, and giving blood for the BDNF test, 80 participants will be randomized to Cognitive Control Training (CCT) or Peripheral Vision Task (PVT) (described below) which will be administered three times over a two week period. At the third visit, participants will also complete an anagram task and repeat the blood draw for BDNF testing. The investigators hypothesize that computerized tasks that train individuals to control their attention more effectively will reduce Obsessive Compulsive (OC) symptoms. Additionally, individuals training in CCT will show increased ability to disengage from unattainable goals as assessed by responses to an unsolvable anagram task. Finally, individuals training in CCT will show a greater increase in BDNF levels as compared to individuals training in PVT.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2011-07
• Study First Submitted: 2011-08-09
• Study First Submitted QC: 2011-08-10
• Study First Posted: 2011-08-11
• Primary Completion: 2012-07
• Study Completion: 2012-07
• Status Verified: 2020-05
• Last Update Submitted: 2020-05-14
• Last Update Posted: 2020-05-18

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 48

Inclusion Criteria

• Adults ages 18-65 years
• OCI-R total score ≥ 16
• Ability to read and provide informed consent.
• Familiarity with a computer keyboard and mouse.

Exclusion Criteria

• BDI-II suicidality score of > 1

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: SINGLE_GROUP

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
CCT	Cognitive Control Training	Cognitive Control Training - Pace Auditory Serial Addition Task (PASAT;(Gronwall, 1977): A computer version of the PASAT will be used to measure sustained attention and working memory. Participants are asked to add serially presented numbers. Attention Control Intervention (Wells, 2000): This task involves training individuals to attend differentially to multiple auditory sources (e.g., by counting tones, discriminating the location of tones, and moving their attention between auditory sources for a prolonged period).
PVT	Peripheral Vision Task	Peripheral Vision Task (PVT; C. Moore, personal communication): This task serves as a non-active control condition which does not target the brain regions influenced by the Wells and PASAT tasks. Participants focus on the placement of dots on a computer screen in this task while listening to a tone.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
OCI-R scores	up to two weeks	3 times over a two week period

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
BDNF serum levels	up to two weeks	Two times over a two week period

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Boston University; 🇺🇸 Boston, Massachusetts, United States