A smartphone app for studying mood and behaviour (v1.0)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A smartphone app for studying mood and behaviour
IRAS ID
239425
Contact name
Robb Rutledge
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z6364106/2017/12/74 , UCL Data Protection Registration
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 31 days
Research summary
The primary aim of this study is to assess whether changes in mood that occur during a relapse of depression influence measures of decision-making, learning and motivation remotely collected by smartphone.
Participants will be asked to play four smartphone games based on existing cognitive tasks contained within a bespoke application. The tasks are all based on computational models of human cognition. These are theoretical models that describe the underlying processes that generate behaviour.
Participants for this study will be recruited from an ongoing clinical trial known as ANTLER (REC: 16/EE/0032). The primary aim of the ANTLER study is to assess the effectiveness of antidepressant medications at preventing depressive relapse. ANTLER will recruit patients with a history of depression but who are currently well enough to consider stopping their medication.
Using the unique framework of ANTLER to recruit participants, we will be able to address the aims of our study in a minimally burdensome way. Following informed consent, participants will be shown how to download our smartphone application by a member of the ANTLER research team.
Data from the application will be collected over the course of 52 weeks and linked to data from ANTLER. Participants will be asked to play four games within the application at regular intervals - approximately once every 2 weeks for the first 12 weeks and then once every 6 weeks until study completion
Data transferred from the app and will contain no identifiable information. Participants will also be asked to provide pseudonymised passive data from their phones such activity, sleep, location, and screen-time. Participants will not be required to provide this data.
Data collection via smartphone is less burdensome than requiring participants to attend for cognitive testing. Our group has previously used smartphones to collect in thousands of people with depression (Rutledge 2017) and from the general population (Rutledge 2014).
REC name
London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/0576
Date of REC Opinion
18 May 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion