The THINC-Integrated Tool (THINC-it) Screening Assessment for Cognitive Dysfunction: Validation in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder

• Published in: The journal of clinical psychiatry Vol. 78; no. 7; p. 873
• Main Authors: McIntyre, Roger S, Best, Michael W, Bowie, Christopher R, Carmona, Nicole E, Cha, Danielle S, Lee, Yena, Subramaniapillai, Mehala, Mansur, Rodrigo B, Barry, Harry, Baune, Bernhard T, Culpepper, Larry, Fossati, Philippe, Greer, Tracy L, Harmer, Catherine, Klag, Esther, Lam, Raymond W, Wittchen, Hans-Ulrich, Harrison, John
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.07.2017
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Cognition Disorders - diagnosis; Cognition Disorders - epidemiology; Cognition Disorders - psychology; Depressive Disorder, Major - diagnosis; Depressive Disorder, Major - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder, Major - psychology; Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; Female; Humans; Male; Mass Screening; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests - statistics & numerical data; Psychometrics - statistics & numerical data; Recurrence; Reference Values; Reproducibility of Results; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1555-2101
• DOI: 10.4088/JCP.16m11329

To validate the THINC-integrated tool (THINC-it)-a freely available, patient-administered, computerized screening tool integrating subjective and objective measures of cognitive function in adults with major depressive disorder (MDD). Subjects aged 18 to 65 years (n = 100) with recurrent MDD experiencing a major depressive episode of at least moderate severity were evaluated and compared to age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls (n = 100). Between January and June 2016, subjects completed the THINC-it, which includes variants of the Choice Reaction Time Identification Task (IDN), One-Back Test, Digit Symbol Substitution Test, Trail Making Test-Part B, and the Perceived Deficits Questionnaire for Depression-5-item (PDQ-5-D). The THINC-it required approximately 10 to 15 minutes for administration and was capable of detecting cognitive deficits in adults with MDD. A total of 44.4% of adults with MDD exhibited cognitive performance at ≥ 1.0 SD below that of healthy controls on standardized mean scores of the THINC-it. Concurrent validity of the overall tool, based on a calculated composite score, was acceptable (r = 0.539, P < .001). Concurrent validity of the component tests ranged from -0.083 (IDN) to 0.929 (PDQ-5-D). Qualitative survey results indicated that there was a high level of satisfaction and perceived value in administering the THINC-it regarding its impact on the appropriateness and quality of care being received. The THINC-it is a valid and sensitive tool for detecting cognitive dysfunction in adults with MDD that is free, easy to use, and rapidly administered. The THINC-it should be incorporated into the assessment and measurement of all patients with MDD, particularly among those with enduring functional impairment. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02508493.