TY - JOUR PY - 2020// TI - The impact of online brain training exercises on experiences of depression, anxiety and emotional wellbeing in a twin sample JO - Journal of psychiatric research A1 - Routledge, Kylie M. A1 - Williams, Leanne M. A1 - Harris, Anthony W. F. A1 - Schofield, Peter R. A1 - Gatt, Justine M. SP - 138 EP - 149 VL - 134 IS - N2 - This study assessed the effectiveness of cognitive and emotional brain training and transfer effects to wellbeing and depression and anxiety symptoms. 352 healthy adult twins were randomised to a training group where they were asked to play brain training games over a 30-day period, or a waitlist control group. This study focused on the impact of the brain training on explicit and implicit emotional cognition, and analysed effects using both Intention-To-Treat (ITT) and Per-Protocol (PP) approaches. Both analyses revealed significant training effects for improvement in the explicit identification of fear expressions (ITT: p < 0.001, d = 0.33; PP training 3 h+: p < 0.001, d = 0.55), and a reduction in implicit bias for anger expressions amongst males (ITT: p < 0.001, d = 0.94; PP training 3 h+: p = 0.04, d = 0.90). Female participants also showed improvements in implicit bias for happy expressions (ITT: p = 0.003, d = 0.34; PP training 3 h+: p = 0.03, d = 0.47). Improvements resulting from training in emotional cognition did not directly improve wellbeing, depression or anxiety symptoms. Regression modelling also suggested training improvements in emotional cognition yielded no indirect transfer effects for the mental health and wellbeing measures. The results suggest brain training in healthy populations has potential for improving emotional cognition, but the subsequent impact on improving wellbeing and mental health symptoms is still equivocal.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0022-3956 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.12.054 ID - ref1 ER -