Does Emotional Working Memory Training Ameliorate Anxiety and Depression? A Meta-Analytic Review.

Jiehang Ou, Hong Mou, Ting Zhou, Yingying Wang

Abstract readReview

In one paragraph

Review in Brain sciences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Jiehang OuSchool of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, No. 650 Qingyuanhuan Road, Yangpu District, Shanghai 200438, China.ORCID 0009-0007-8726-3397

Hong MouSchool of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, No. 650 Qingyuanhuan Road, Yangpu District, Shanghai 200438, China.

Ting ZhouSchool of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, No. 650 Qingyuanhuan Road, Yangpu District, Shanghai 200438, China.

Yingying WangSchool of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, No. 650 Qingyuanhuan Road, Yangpu District, Shanghai 200438, China.ORCID 0000-0002-9242-9861

Funding

the National Key R&D Program of China No. 2023YFC3305804

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Depression and anxiety disorders are associated with deficits in several cognitive domains. This meta-analytic review assessed the effects of emotional working memory training (eWMT) on depression and anxiety and their related emotional and cognitive domains. Eligible studies were assessed for changes in depression, anxiety, emotion and cognition after eWMT. Methodological quality was assessed using Cochrane Collaboration's guidelines, and random-effects models aggregated the results of individual studies. Of 1314 studies identified, 16 were included (883 participants; mean age range, 14.35-68.79 years; 70.44% female). Nine studies were high quality, seven were moderate quality, and none were low quality. There was relatively high heterogeneity across studies and study populations. The eWMT significantly reduced depression (standardized mean difference [SMD], -2.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], -3.68 to -0.39;

Indexed as

anxietycognitive trainingdepressionemotional working memorymeta-analysisN-back training

Identifiers

PMID41594750

DOI10.3390/brainsci16010030

PMCPMC12839229

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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.