Grant Funded on Cognitive Enhancers in Treatment of Depression

Dr. Jesse Wright, Director of the UofL Depression Center is collaborating with Michael Otto, Ph.D. from Boston University in a new study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health on using novel compounds to enhance learning in psychotherapy. The $451,747 grant will be used to investigate the potential for d-cycloserine to promote learning of cognitive-behavior therapy skills for depression. The “Good Days Ahead” computer program for psychotherapy of depression, authored by Drs. Jesse and Andrew Wright and Aaron Beck, will be a centerpiece of this research. D-cycloserine will be compared with another medication and placebo to investigate possible methods of improving the delivery of cognitive-behavior therapy for depression.