Tetris Intervention Following Subliminal Reactivation for Intrusive Memories
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18-50
SponsorShaanxi Normal University
About this trial
Intrusive memories of traumatic events are a core feature of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and can cause substantial distress and functional impairment. Existing trauma-focused treatments are effective but often require deliberate recollection of traumatic experiences, which can be distressing for some individuals.
Previous experimental studies in healthy participants found that masked reactivation of trauma-related cues, followed after a brief interval by a visuospatial interference task using Tetris gameplay, reduced the frequency and emotional intensity of intrusive memories. Building on these findings, the present randomized controlled trial evaluates the efficacy of this intervention in trauma-exposed individuals experiencing three or more intrusive memories per week.
Eligibility criteria
This trial does not accept healthy volunteersQualifiers
Meet DSM-5 PTSD Criterion A (eg, exposure to actual or threatened death). Have experienced one or more traumatic events.
Experienced three or more intrusive memories during the baseline week.
Have internet access and have access to a personal computer.
Be willing to provide consent and able to complete study procedures and be contacted by the study team.
Disqualifiers
Have fewer than three intrusive memories during the baseline week.
A current diagnosis of schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a severe personality disorder judged to interfere with treatment adherence, or acute suicidal behavior.
Have severe substance dependence.
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
Subliminal Reactivation Followed by Visuospatial Interference
BehavioralIn each intervention session, participants are exposed subliminally to trauma-related cues. Participants then complete a 10-minute music-listening task during the post-reactivation interval, followed by a computerized visuospatial interference task (Tetris) with mental rotation instructions.
Computer-based Visuospatial Task (Tetris)
BehavioralA computerized visuospatial task (Tetris) with mental rotation instructions.
Treatment groups
106 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groupsGroup A: Unconscious ReactivationExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: No Reactivation ControlSham comparator 1 intervention
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Number of trauma-related intrusive memories
Number of trauma-related intrusive memories assessed via a daily diary.
Time frame
Day 30 - 36(all arms) controlling for baseline weekSecondary outcomes
1
Number of trauma-related intrusive memories
Number of trauma-related intrusive memories assessed via a daily diary.
Time frame
Day 12 - 18 (all arms) controlling for baseline week2
Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5)
Change in PTSD symptom severity as measured by the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5). The CAPS-5 is a structured clinical interview assessing DSM-5 PTSD symptoms. Each of the 20 PTSD symptom items is rated on a severity scale from 0 to 4. The total symptom severity score is calculated by summing the severity ratings for the 20 PTSD symptom items, yielding a total score range from 0 to 80. Higher scores indicate greater PTSD symptom severity. PTSD diagnostic status is determined according to DSM-5 symptom cluster criteria and is not based solely on the total severity score.
Time frame
Baseline (day 0) and day 37 (all arms)3
Intrusive memory ratings
This 7-item questionnaire assesses a number of intrusive memory characteristics. These characteristics include: frequency (7-point categorical response from 'never' to 'many times a day'); distress (0=not at all to 10=extremely); disruption to concentration (0=not at all to 10=extremely); interference with what you were doing (how much (0=not at all to 10=extremely) and for how long (6-point categorical response from '\<1min' to '\>60mins')); impact on work functioning (0=not at all to 10=extremely); impact on functioning in other areas of life (0=not at all to 10=extremely).
Time frame
Baseline(day 0), Day 18, day 36, 2 months after the last intervention(all arms)4
Post-Intervention Questionnaire
A 2-item questionnaire assessed participants' immediate subjective experience after each intervention session: distress experienced during the procedure (0=not at all to 10=very); acceptability of the intervention task (0=not at all to 10=very).
Time frame
Day1, 2, 10, 11, 19, 20, 28, 29 (all arms)Other outcomes
1
Changes to health
This 4-item questionnaire assesses the number of any new traumatic events, new treatments received and the occurrence of adverse events since the last assessment.
Time frame
Day37 and 2 months after the last intervention(all arms)2
Feedback questionnaire
A 5-item questionnaire (0=not at all to 10=very) assessed participants' subjective experience of the intervention: ease of use; perceived helpfulness; willingness to use the intervention if intrusive memories recur in the future; willingness to recommend the intervention to others with similar intrusive memories; whether they perceived the task as related to their condition during the experiment.
Time frame
Day29 (all arms)3
Number of trauma-related intrusive memories
Number of trauma-related intrusive memories assessed via a single item .
Time frame
2 months after the last intervention (all arms)4
Subliminal Perception Check
Administered only to the unconscious cue group; following each intervention, participants are asked whether they perceived any image via a single-item binary choice (Yes/No). If the response is "Yes," an open-ended verbal description is required.
Time frame
Day1, 2, 10, 11, 19, 20, 28, 29 (the Unconscious Reactivation group only)Sponsors and contacts
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Source ClinicalTrials.gov