BOLD study (version 01)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A study of cognitive bias in older adults with depression.
IRAS ID
170087
Contact name
Philip Wilkinson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
5 years, 0 months, 2 days
Research summary
Depression affects 15% of older people at any one time. It causes distress and adds to the disability and mortality from physical illness. It is important to study depression in older adults as its causes and manifestations differ from those in younger people.
One mechanism known to underlie depression in younger adults is cognitive bias: i.e. the tendency to focus and dwell on negative stimuli (such as angry facial expressions) rather than neutral or positive stimuli. This knowledge has been used successfully to develop simple interventions to alter cognitive bias in younger adults to reduce the risk of depression recurring.
It is not known whether cognitive bias is a mechanism of depression in older people. Therefore, it is important to conduct a study of cognitive bias in older people with depression. If the same mechanism is active, this will inform the development of future treatments.
The study will recruit people aged 60 and over. Thirty will be patients currently receiving treatment for depression and 30 will be age-matched controls who have not experienced depression. Patients will be recruited through Oxford Health NHS FT and local GPs; controls will be recruited through the Oxford Cognitive Health in Ageing programme healthy volunteers register and through advertising.
Participants will be asked to undertake a single assessment interview lasting around one hour in the outpatient department or participant’s home, whichever is more convenient. The following four tests will be administered. A computer-based test of attention to negative words and facial expressions, a test of sentence construction using words presented on cards, a test of word recall, and labelling of facial expressions in photographs. There are no significant risks to the participants but it is possible that some may feel temporarily distressed by the task and, if so, appropriate support will be offered.REC name
London - City & East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/1184
Date of REC Opinion
28 Jun 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion