Citation

Shamai-Leshem D, Lazarov A, Pine DS, Bar-Haim Y. Depress. Anxiety 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/da.23089

PMID

32790036

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Heightened attention allocation toward negative-valanced information and reduced attention allocation toward positive-valanced information represent viable targets for attention bias modification in major depressive disorder. Accordingly, we conducted a randomized controlled trial testing the efficacy of a novel gaze-contingent attention bias modification procedure for major depressive disorder.

METHOD: Sixty patients with major depressive disorder were randomly assigned to either eight training sessions of feedback-based gaze-contingent music reward therapy designed to divert patients' gaze toward positive over sad stimuli, or to a control condition which entailed eight sessions of gaze-noncontingent music. Clinician-rated and self-reported measures of depression, and proportion of dwell-time on sad faces, were assessed pretreatment, posttreatment, and at a 3-month follow-up.

RESULTS: Gaze-contingent music reward therapy produced a greater reduction in dwell-time on sad faces compared with the control condition, but it failed to generalize to novel faces. Both groups manifested similarly significant reductions in depression symptoms from pre- to posttreatment that were maintained at follow-up. Exploratory analyses suggest that first-episode patients may benefit more from this therapy than patients with a history of multiple episodes.

CONCLUSIONS: Gaze-contingent music reward therapy can modify attention biases in depression, but clear differential clinical effects did not emerge. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Language: en

Keywords

depression; major depressive disorder; attention; attention allocation; attention bias; attention bias modification; eye tracking