PsychosisNCT03677635
The Relationship Between Autobiographical Memory and Motivation
A study testing Guided Autobiographical Memory Recall in people with Psychosis, run by King's College London at 2 sites in United Kingdom.
Trial summary
People with a diagnosis of psychosis often experience low motivation and pleasure when thinking about doing future activities. This leads, quite understandably, to doing fewer activities they used to enjoy and not taking up opportunities to do new activities. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 65 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Psychosis
- What is being tested?
- Guided Autobiographical Memory Recall
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 31 participants
- Where
- 2 sitesUnited Kingdom
- Study dates
- 18 May 2017to 19 Feb 2020
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 65 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- A diagnosis of non-affective psychosis (as determined by medical records).
- Above 18yrs old.
- A score of at least 18 on the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms.
- A sufficient command of the English language to engage with the research materials
Who cannot join
- Lack of capacity to provide informed consent.
- Primary diagnosis of intellectual disability, head injury, substance misuse or known organic cause of psychosis
Trial locations and contacts
2 sites in 1 country.
United Kingdom2 sites
South London and Maudsley NHS Trust
London, BR3 3BX
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, KCL
London, SE5 8AF
About this study
Official title: Is There a Relationship Between Memory for Past Events and Motivation for Future Activities?
People with a diagnosis of psychosis often experience low motivation and pleasure when thinking about doing future activities. This leads, quite understandably, to doing fewer activities they used to enjoy and not taking up opportunities to do new activities. One model suggests that this may be partly due to difficulties using memories of previous events to help boost motivation and anticipation before a future activity. Research shows that people with psychosis may recall previous events in less detail. These memories therefore may not be as helpful as they could be for motivation. This study will investigate this by asking people with experience of psychosis and low motivation who are seen by a care team in South London and Maudsley NHS Trust to attend two research sessions. In the first session the participants will be asked to recall memories of events from their lives and the researcher will assess how detailed the memories are and how much the participant refers to the past and future. Alongside this task the participants will also be asked to complete measures of symptoms such as low pleasure and motivation as well as a measure of depression. These will be used to find out if the detail and specificity of the memories are related to these symptoms in people with psychosis. The second half of the study will then investigate whether additional prompts to support positive memory retrieval can increase the specificity of this and subsequently improve mood, motivation and self-belief. Participants will be randomised to one of two groups. The clinical group will be guided through their memory recall using prompts and a control group will be asked to recall positive memories without prompts. If the investigators show that supporting memory recall is beneficial then memories for past events may be an important target for future therapies.
- Conditions
- Psychosis
- Being tested
- Guided Autobiographical Memory Recall
- Keywords
- Negative Symptoms, Autobiographical Memory
- Medical subject headings
- Psychotic Disorders
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Guided Autobiographical Memory RecallBehavioural
Participants are asked to recall positive autobiographical memories with the assistance of prompts to promote specificity, generalisability and links to the future. The participants will also view a 5min psychoeducation video on the subject of memory specificity and motivation.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention | Experimental | Guided autobiographical memory recall to enhance specificity and links to the future. Receives: Behavioral: Guided Autobiographical Memory Recall |
| Control | No intervention | Recall without prompts or psychoeducation video. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Post-Intervention Motivation Score
A rating on a visual analogue scale assessing motivation to repeat the same activity recalled in the future. The scale is rated from 0-100 and a higher score indicated better outcome.
Measured: Immediately after completing the intervention
Secondary outcomes (1)
Post-Intervention Anticipatory Pleasure
A rating on a visual analogue scale assessing how pleasant that activity is anticipated to be if repeated. The scale is rated from 0-100 and a higher score indicated better outcome.
Measured: Immediately after completing the intervention
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted19 Sep 2018
- Study start18 May 2017
- Primary completion31 Mar 2018
- Study completion19 Feb 2020
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Other trials for PsychosisStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 31 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- King's College London
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03677635
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 214063
- Status last verified
- Feb 2020
- First submitted
- 10 Feb 2017
- Last updated
- 18 Jul 2025
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 18 Jul 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Is There a Relationship Between Memory for Past Events and Motivation for Future Activities?
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03677635
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 214063
- Conditions
- Psychosis
- Keywords
- Negative Symptoms, Autobiographical Memory
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 31 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- King's College LondonUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 18 May 2017 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Mar 2018 (actual)
- Study completion
- 19 Feb 2020 (actual)
- First posted
- 19 Sep 2018 (actual)
- Results
- Posted 18 Jul 2025
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
People with a diagnosis of psychosis often experience low motivation and pleasure when thinking about doing future activities. This leads, quite understandably, to doing fewer activities they used to enjoy and not taking up opportunities to do new activities. One model suggests that this may be partly due to difficulties using memories of previous events to help boost motivation and anticipation before a future activity. Research shows that people with psychosis may recall previous events in less detail. These memories therefore may not be as helpful as they could be for motivation. This study will investigate this by asking people with experience of psychosis and low motivation who are seen by a care team in South London and Maudsley NHS Trust to attend two research sessions. In the first session the participants will be asked to recall memories of events from their lives and the researcher will assess how detailed the memories are and how much the participant refers to the past and future. Alongside this task the participants will also be asked to complete measures of symptoms such as low pleasure and motivation as well as a measure of depression. These will be used to find out if the detail and specificity of the memories are related to these symptoms in people with psychosis. The second half of the study will then investigate whether additional prompts to support positive memory retrieval can increase the specificity of this and subsequently improve mood, motivation and self-belief. Participants will be randomised to one of two groups. The clinical group will be guided through their memory recall using prompts and a control group will be asked to recall positive memories without prompts. If the investigators show that supporting memory recall is beneficial then memories for past events may be an important target for future therapies.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention | Experimental | Behavioral: Guided Autobiographical Memory RecallGuided autobiographical memory recall to enhance specificity and links to the future. |
| Control | No intervention | –Recall without prompts or psychoeducation video. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 65 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- A diagnosis of non-affective psychosis (as determined by medical records).
- Above 18yrs old.
- A score of at least 18 on the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms.
- A sufficient command of the English language to engage with the research materials
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Lack of capacity to provide informed consent.
- Primary diagnosis of intellectual disability, head injury, substance misuse or known organic cause of psychosis
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Guided Autobiographical Memory RecallParticipants are asked to recall positive autobiographical memories with the assistance of prompts to promote specificity, generalisability and links to the future. The participants will also view a 5min psychoeducation video on the subject of memory specificity and motivation. | Behavioural | Intervention |
Primary outcome
Post-Intervention Motivation Score
Time frame: Immediately after completing the intervention
A rating on a visual analogue scale assessing motivation to repeat the same activity recalled in the future. The scale is rated from 0-100 and a higher score indicated better outcome.
1 secondary outcome
Post-Intervention Anticipatory Pleasure
Time frame: Immediately after completing the intervention
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 18 Jul 2025.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
Related trials for Psychosis
RecruitingPhase 2
Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Ublituximab in Participants With Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
RecruitingPhase 3
Relapse Prevention Trial Evaluating KarXT Treatment in Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Recruiting
Magnetic Seizure Therapy for Schizophrenia - Trial
Treatment Resistant Schizophrenia, Schizophrenia
RecruitingObservational study
Sensory Profile and Early Clinical Signs of Calm Room Users
Psychotic Disorders, Personality Disorders
Not yet recruitingObservational study
Validation of Wearable Core Body Temperature-Based Circadian Rhythm Digital Biomarkers
Mood Disorders, Major Depressive Diorder
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
2 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Guided Autobiographical Memory Recall in people with Psychosis, run by King's College London at 2 sites in United Kingdom.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 18 Jul 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 2 sites in United Kingdom. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 18 Jul 2025). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Post-Intervention Motivation Score (time frame: Immediately after completing the intervention). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 18 Jul 2025.