A randomized controlled trial of gaze‐contingent music reward therapy for major depressive disorder

摘要: BACKGROUND Heightened attention allocation toward negative-valanced information and reduced positive-valanced represent viable targets for bias modification in major depressive disorder. Accordingly, we conducted a randomized controlled trial testing the efficacy of novel gaze-contingent procedure METHOD Sixty patients with disorder were randomly assigned to either eight training sessions feedback-based music reward therapy designed divert patients' gaze positive over sad stimuli, or control condition which entailed gaze-noncontingent music. Clinician-rated self-reported measures depression, proportion dwell-time on faces, assessed pretreatment, posttreatment, at 3-month follow-up. RESULTS Gaze-contingent produced greater reduction faces compared condition, but it failed generalize faces. Both groups manifested similarly significant reductions depression symptoms from pre- posttreatment that maintained Exploratory analyses suggest first-episode may benefit more this than history multiple episodes. CONCLUSIONS can modify biases clear differential clinical effects did not emerge. Theoretical practical implications are discussed.