Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy vs. a health enhancement program for the treatment of late-life depression: Study protocol for a multi-site randomized controlled trial.
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience January 1, 2022 Magnus Bein, Myriam Lesage, Elena Dikaios et al.
Late-life depression affects up to 18% of older adults and is linked to elevated dementia risk. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) may help treat depressive symptoms and cognitive deficits in this population, but a definitive randomized controlled trial has not yet been conducted. This protocol describes a multi-site blinded trial comparing MBCT to an active control, a Health Enhancement Program, in 213 patients with late-life depression. Changes in depression severity, processing speed, executive functioning, and brain biomarkers will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention (8 weeks), and 26 weeks after baseline. The study will evaluate MBCT's potential to improve depression, cognitive impairments, and neurobiological markers.