Optimizing Placebo Effects in Depressed Older Adults: Enhancing Processing Speed and Executive Functioning with Computerized Cognitive Training

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability and a severe public health concern for older adults. Slowed processing speed (PS) and executive dysfunction (ED) often complicate antidepressant treatment response in this population. Treatment non‐response in older adults with PS deficits may be caused by failure to form expectations about treatment, suggesting that targeting PS deficits prior to antidepressant treatment may restore the capacity to form expectations and improve treatment response. One way of improving PS may be through the use of computerized cognitive training (CCT), through structured drills and repeated practice. This study aims to 1) determine whether PS mediates the relationship between CCT and expectancy, and 2) assess the effects of CCT and expectancy manipulations on depressive symptoms in geriatric populations.