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Examining Reward-Related Predictors and Mechanisms of Change in BA Treatment for Anhedonic Adolescents

NCT02498925 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 80

Last updated 2024-09-19

Study results available
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Summary

The prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) is relatively low in childhood (i.e., 1-3%), but increases substantially during adolescence. By the age of 18, approximately 15% of adolescents will have experienced at least one episode of MDD. A growing body of research implicates abnormalities in reward circuitry as playing a critical role in the development and maintenance of depressive symptoms in adolescents. Importantly, these reward-circuitry abnormalities have been linked to anhedonia (i.e., decreased pleasure or blunted reactivity to rewarding stimuli). Behavioral Activation (BA) represents a promising - and relatively simple to deliver - nonpharmacologic intervention for adolescent depression, which has been shown to be at least as effective as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with regards to symptom reduction and lowering the risk of relapse in adult samples. More recently, promising data have emerged from the application of BA to depressed adolescents. BA can be conceptualized as a treatment directly targeting anhedonia. More specifically, BA targets anhedonia through behavioral change strategies aimed at gradually increasing patients' exposure to and engagement with rewarding stimuli and positively reinforcing experiences. Given this treatment focus, BA may be particularly beneficial for adolescents struggling with relatively elevated levels of anhedonic symptoms. Accordingly, the present study will examine the role of anhedonia and reward functioning in predicting treatment response in BA. In addition, analyses will be conducted examining the reward-related neural and behavioral mechanisms underlying anhedonic symptom improvement in BA.

Conditions

  • Anhedonia

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Behavioral Activation

Behavioral Activation is a psychosocial treatment for depression focused on gradually re-engaging patients with sources of reinforcement and reward in their environment (e.g., increasing activites and interpersonal interactions). In contrast to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and as the name implies, Behavioral Activation focuses on behavioral change strategies to improve mood and places little emphasis on cognitive restructuring techniques.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

    collaborator NIH

  • Mclean Hospital

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Christian A Webb, Ph.D. · McLean Hospital & McLean Hospital

Study Design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age
13 Years
Max Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2015-12-31
Primary Completion
2022-04-30
Completion
2023-05-31

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT02498925 on ClinicalTrials.gov