Short-term Cognitive Training in Late-life Depression

The Effects of Short-term Cognitive Training on Cognition and Mood Symptoms in Late-life Depression: A Pilot Study

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the alternative uses training (AUT) and word association training (WAT) on cognitive functions and mood symptoms in late-life depression (LLD).

The hypotheses are:

1. post-training cognitive performance will be superior to pre-training cognitive performance
2. post-training depressive symptomatology will be less severe as compared with pre-training clinical severity and
3. AUT group will show better post-training cognitive performance and improved mood symptoms when compared with the WAT group.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male or female
• Age >=55
• Proficiency in English
• Current depressive episode and meet criteria for DSM-IV major depressive disorder
• Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score >=15
• Able to give informed consent
• Stable medication dosages during the training period

Exclusion Criteria:

• Other DSM-IV Axis I psychiatric disorders, except for anxiety disorders due to high comorbidity with mood disorders
• Mini-Mental State Examination score of <26
• Diagnosis of dementia
• Neurological and medical conditions known to affect cognition (e.g., stroke, head injury, previous chemotherapy for cancer)
• Unstable medical illnesses requiring active treatment
• Vision or hearing impairment affecting ability to participate in training