Trial reportBiological psychiatry2012
Using attentional bias modification as a cognitive vaccine against depression.
Trial report in Biological psychiatry, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05415306 (An Emoji-based Attention Bias Modification Intervention for Depressive Symptom Severity in Young Adults), which is not on this map. Cited by 88 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
An Emoji-based Attention Bias Modification Intervention for Depressive Symptom Severity in Young Adults
Who cites it
88 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Time-Dependent Changes in Depressive Symptoms Among Control Participants in Digital-Based Psychological Intervention Studies: Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Pooled it
- Efficacy of a personalised alcohol approach bias modification smartphone app in people accessing outpatient alcohol use disorder treatment: A randomised controlled trial.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026Trial
- 5-HTTLPR does not moderate the effect of attention bias modification for depression: a randomized sham-controlled trial.Translational psychiatry · 2025Trial
- Effect of attention bias modification on depressive affect.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- The effect of attentional bias modification on positive affect dynamics.Scientific reports · 2024Trial
- The effect of attention bias modification on depressive symptoms in a comorbid sample: a randomized controlled trial.Psychological medicine · 2023Trial
- Online Contingent Attention Training (OCAT): transfer effects to cognitive biases, rumination, and anxiety symptoms from two proof-of-principle studies.Cognitive research: principles and implications · 2023Trial
- Attentional bias modification is associated with fMRI response toward negative stimuli in individuals with residual depression: a randomized controlled trialJournal of psychiatry & neuroscience : JPN · 2020Trial
- Effects of Attentional Bias Modification on residual symptoms in depression: a randomized controlled trial.BMC psychiatry · 2019Trial
- Heart Rate Variability and Cognitive Bias Feedback Interventions to Prevent Post-deployment PTSD: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial.Military medicine · 2019Trial
- Salutary effects of an attention bias modification mobile application on biobehavioral measures of stress and anxiety during pregnancy.Biological psychology · 2017Trial
- Investigating the (cost-) effectiveness of attention bias modification (ABM) for outpatients with major depressive disorder (MDD): a randomized controlled trial protocol.BMC psychiatry · 2016Trial
- Attentional bias training in girls at risk for depression.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2016Trial
- Effect of Attention Training on Attention Bias Variability and PTSD Symptoms: Randomized Controlled Trials in Israeli and U.S. Combat Veterans.The American journal of psychiatry · 2015Trial
- Attention bias modification for major depressive disorder: Effects on attention bias, resting state connectivity, and symptom change.Journal of abnormal psychology · 2015Trial
- Trial
- Cognitive bias modification to prevent depression (COPE): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.Trials · 2014Trial
- Effects of short-term varenicline administration on cortisol in healthy, non-smoking adults: a randomized, double-blind, study.Psychopharmacology · 2014Trial
- Training-associated changes and stability of attention bias in youth: Implications for Attention Bias Modification Treatment for pediatric anxiety.Developmental cognitive neuroscience · 2013Trial
- Transcranial Laser Stimulation as Neuroenhancement for Attention Bias Modification in Adults with Elevated Depression Symptoms.Brain stimulationTrial
28 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundNegative attentional biases are thought to increase the risk of recurrence in depression, suggesting that reduction of such biases may be a plausible strategy in the secondary prevention of the illness. However, no previous study has tested whether reducing negative attentional bias causally affects risk factors for depressive recurrence. The current experimental medicine study reports the effects of a computerized attentional bias modification (ABM) procedure on intermediate measures of the risk of depressive recurrence (residual depressive symptoms and the cortisol awakening response) in patients with recurrent depression.
methodsSixty-one patients with at least two previous episodes of depression who were currently in remission were randomized to receive either an active (positive) or placebo computer-based ABM regime. The ABM regime presented either pictures of faces or words. Residual depressive symptoms, measured using the Beck Depression Inventory and the cortisol awakening response were measured immediately before and after completion of the bias modification and then again after 4 weeks' follow-up.
resultsPositive, face-based ABM reduced both measures of recurrence risk (Beck Depression Inventory and cortisol awakening response). This effect occurred during the month following completion of bias modification. Word-based modification did not influence the outcome measures.
conclusionsPositive face-based ABM was able to reduce intermediate measures of recurrence risk in previously depressed patients. These results suggest that ABM may provide a "cognitive vaccine" against depression and offer a useful strategy in the secondary prevention of the illness.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.