Neural and behavioral markers of inhibitory control predict symptom improvement during internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for depression

Poor inhibitory control contributes to deficits in emotion regulation, often targeted by treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD), including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This study examined whether baseline inhibitory control and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) predicted treatment response to internet-based CBT (iCBT) in individuals with MDD. Participants were randomly assigned to iCBT (N=30) or a monitored attention control (MAC) condition (N=30). Elastic net regression predicted post-treatment PHQ-9 scores from baseline variables. Inhibitory control and rsFC within inhibitory control-emotion regulation regions predicted reduced symptom severity following iCBT, more strongly in the iCBT group. These findings suggest stronger baseline inhibitory control predicts better iCBT outcomes.

Michelle Thai, Elizabeth A. Olson, Stefanie Nickels, Daniel G. Dillon, Christian A. Webb, Boyu Ren, William D. S. Killgore, Scott L. Rauch, Isabelle M. Rosso, Diego A. Pizzagalli