Changes in Selective Attentional Patterns Towards Emotional Stimuli by Using Eye-tracking Techniques: A New Intervention for Depression
Overview
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Cognitive Deficits
- Sponsor
- Universidad Complutense de Madrid
- Enrollment
- 32
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Assessment of current mood (PANAS)
- Status
- Completed
- Last Updated
- 7 years ago
Overview
Brief Summary
Cognitive biases are a hallmark of depression but there is scarce research on whether these biases can be directly modified by using specific cognitive training techniques.
The aim of this study will be targeting and modifying specifically relevant attention biases in participants with subclinical depression using eye-tracking methodologies. This innovative approach has been proposed as a promising future line of intervention in Attention Bias Modification procedures (Koster & Hoorelbeke, 2015).
Recent findings suggest that depression is characterized by a double attentional bias (Duque & Vazquez, 2015), More specifically, depressed individuals have difficulties both to disengage from negative materials (e.g., sad faces) and to engage with positive materials (e.g., happy faces). Thus, training procedures to change attentional biases should target these two separate components.
Detailed Description
The aim of this study will be to apply eye-tracking methods to modify specific components of attentional bias in depression. Eye-tracking technology enables us to train attention by following strict performance and time-based criteria as well as to specify the components of attention (i.e., disengagement from negative information, engagement and maintenance in positive information) to be targeted in the training, critical to providing a theory-driven intervention (Koster, Baert et al., 2010). In the case of depression, there is also some evidence from eye-tracking studies showing that recovery from an induced negative mood is better when individuals spontaneously direct their gaze towards positive stimuli (Sanchez et al., 2014). Thus extant evidence on attentional biases in depression suggest that modification of these biases could be a fruitful way to change participants' mood. Although initial positive results of ABM led some authors to propose it as an alternative treatment for emotional disorders (Bar-Haim, 2010; MacLeod \& Holmes, 2012), some recent meta-analysis (Mogoase et al. 2014; Cristea et al., 2015) have reduced the enthusiasm of those previous claims.Yet, it is likely that modest results of ABM procedures in depression are, in part, based on flawed methodologies. The proposed study aims to rectify several limitations of previous designs while opening a new strategy, based in training ocular movements, to modify attentional patterns. With a series of methodological and conceptual improvements (i.e., trial-by- trial feedback, use of different tasks to measure attentional bias and to do the ABM, use of a yoked-group design to control for the time exposure to the emotional stimuli in the control group, and use of a stress-test to measure transfer of the training to a different task), it is expected that some limitations found in previous studies can be overcome. The general aim of the study will be to train adaptive attentional biases (i.e., training the maintenance of gaze towards positive stimuli). The use of the new ABM in a sample of dysphoric participants will allow us to test if training visual selective attention using eye-tracking methodology could be a promising venue for future ABM procedures more solidly grounded on current theories of depression.
Investigators
Carmelo Vázquez
Full Professor of Psychopathology
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •A score of \>13 in the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II)
Exclusion Criteria
- •Impaired vision
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Assessment of current mood (PANAS)
Time Frame: Change from Baseline to the end of the 2-day intervention.It will be administered 12 min before the first session of training and then immediately after finishing the 2nd session of training
A scale measuring current general positive and negative mood
Assessment of current mood (EVEA)
Time Frame: Change from Baseline to the end of the 2-day intervention. It will be administered 12 min before the first session of training and then immediately after finishing the 2nd session of training.
A scale measuring current anger, happiness, anxiety and depressed mood
Attentional Bias Assessment Task (ABA, Sanchez et al., 2013)
Time Frame: Change from Baseline to the end of the 2-day intervention. It will be administered immediately before the first session of training and then 5 min after finishing the 2nd session of training
An eye-tracking task to measure gaze patterns towards emotional faces
Secondary Outcomes
- Beck Depression Inventory-II(Change from Baseline to the end of the 2-day intervention. It will be administered 20 min before the first session of training and then 20 min after finishing the 2nd session of training)
- Beck Anxiety Inventory(Change from Baseline to the end of the 2-day intervention. It will be administered 20 min before the first session of training and then 20 min after finishing the 2nd session of training.)
- Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS)(Change from Baseline to the end of the 2-day intervention. It will be administered 20 min before the first session of training and then 20 min after finishing the 2nd session of training)
- White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI)(Change from Baseline to the end of the 2-day intervention. It will be administered 20 min before the first session of training and then 20 min after finishing the 2nd session of training.)
- Behavioral Activation System (BAS)- Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) Scale(Change from Baseline to the end of the 2-day intervention. It will be administered 20 min before the first session of training and then 20 min after finishing the 2nd session of training.)
- Pemberton Happiness Index(Change from Baseline to the end of the 2-day intervention. It will be administered 20 min before the first session of training and then 20 min after finishing the 2nd session of training.)
- Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS)(Change from Baseline to the end of the 2-day intervention. It will be administered 20 min before the first session of training and then 20 min after finishing the 2nd session of training.)
- Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R)(Change from Baseline to the end of the 2-day intervention. It will be administered 20 min before the first session of training and then 20 min after finishing the 2nd session of training.)