title: Internet-delivered cognitive control training as a preventive intervention for remitted depressed patients: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Preventing recurrence of depression forms an important challenge for current treatments. Cognitive control impairments often remain present during remission of depression, putting remitted depressed patients at heightened risk for new depressive episodes by disrupting emotion regulation processes. Importantly, research indicates that cognitive control training targeting working memory functioning shows potential in reducing maladaptive emotion regulation and depressive symptomatology in clinically depressed patients and at-risk student samples. The current study aims to test the effectiveness of cognitive control training as a preventive intervention in a remitted depressed sample, exploring effects of cognitive control training on rumination and depressive symptomatology, along with indicators of adaptive emotion regulation and functioning.
  
  
  METHODS
  We present a double blind randomized controlled design. Remitted depressed adults will complete 10 online sessions of a cognitive control training targeting working memory functioning or a low cognitive load training (active control condition) over a period of 14 days. Effects of training on primary outcome measures of rumination and depressive symptomatology will be assessed pre-post training and at three months follow-up, along with secondary outcome measure adaptive emotion regulation. Long-term effects of cognitive control training on broader indicators of functioning will be assessed at three months follow-up (secondary outcome measures).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study will provide information about the effectiveness of cognitive control training for remitted depressed adults in reducing vulnerability for depression. Furthermore, this study will address key questions concerning the mechanisms underlying the effects of cognitive control training, will take into account the subjective experience of the patients (including a self-report measure for cognitive functioning), and explore whether these effects extend to broad measures of functioning such as Quality of Life and disability.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.Gov, number NCT02407652 .
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium. Kristof.Hoorelbeke@UGent.be.
authors.forename: Kristof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hoorelbeke
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium. Lien.Faelens@UGent.be.
authors.forename: Lien
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Faelens
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium. Jeffrey.Behiels@UGent.be.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Behiels
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium. Ernst.Koster@UGent.be.
authors.forename: Ernst H W
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Koster
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D013813:Therapy, Computer-Assisted; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult