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Cognitive training app effective for moderate, late-life depression

A mobile cognitive training app for depression may be effective for moderate and late-life depression, according to recent findings.

“We found that moderately depressed people do better with apps like this because they address or treat correlates of depression,” study researcher Patricia Areán, PhD, of the University of Washington, Seattle, said in a press release.

To assess utility and efficacy of three mobile apps for mood, Areán and colleagues randomly assigned 626 individuals with mild-to-moderate depression to use Project: EVO, a cognitive training app for depression; iPST, an app based on evidence-based psychotherapy for depression; or Health Tips, a treatment control.

Seventy-seven percent of the cohort had moderate depression.

More than half of participants assigned to use Project: EVO or iPST did not download their assigned intervention but were demographically similar to those who did download.

Participants with moderate depression who received the cognitive training or problem-solving apps exhibited improved mood (P = .04), compared with those who received the control.

In a second study, conducted by Joaquin A. Anguera, PhD, of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues explored the efficacy of Project: EVO for late-life depression. Study participants, aged 60 years and older, with late-life depression were randomly assigned to receive problem solving therapy (n = 10) or Project: EVO (n = 12).

“While EVO was not directly designed to treat depressive symptoms, we hypothesized that there may indeed be beneficial effects on these symptoms by improving cognitive issues with targeted treatment, and so far, the results are promising,” Anguera said in the release.

After 4 weeks of treatment, participants assigned to Project: EVO exhibited similar improvements in mood and self-reported function as those who received problem solving therapy.

Participants assigned to Project: EVO exhibited generalization to untrained measures of working memory and attention and negativity bias. Researchers did not observe this among participants who received problem solving therapy.

Based on these findings, researchers believe that mobile apps may be effective for individuals with moderate depression. However, more research is required.

Multiple clinical trials are studying Project: EVO for several cognitive disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury and ADHD, according to a press release. – by Amanda Oldt

Disclosure: Areán and Anguera report no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the study for a full list of relevant financial disclosures.