Towards virtual reality exposure therapy for cocaine use disorder: A feasibility study of inducing cocaine craving through virtual reality

•Virtual reality exposure to cocaine cues is capable to induce large cocaine craving.•Virtual reality exposure to cocaine cues is feasible in cocaine users.•A relaxation-based resting time might help for restoring baseline craving and emotions levels. Craving is a core symptom of cocaine use disorde...

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Published in:	Addictive behaviors reports Vol. 19; p. 100549
Main Authors:	Lehoux, Thomas, Porche, Christelle Nithart, Capobianco, Antonio, Gervilla, Miguel, Lecuyer, Flavien, Anthouard, Julien, Weiner, Luisa
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01-06-2024 Elsevier
Subjects:	Cocaine craving Cocaine use disorder Cue-exposure therapy Cue-reactivity Humanities and Social Sciences Psychology Relaxation Research paper Virtual reality Relaxation Cue-reactivity Cocaine use disorder Cue-exposure therapy Virtual reality Cocaine craving
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Summary:	•Virtual reality exposure to cocaine cues is capable to induce large cocaine craving.•Virtual reality exposure to cocaine cues is feasible in cocaine users.•A relaxation-based resting time might help for restoring baseline craving and emotions levels. Craving is a core symptom of cocaine use disorders (CUD). Inducing craving in exposure to substance cues is of relevant interest for numerous clinical applications. Virtual reality exposure (VRE) might be a promising candidate for improving cue-exposure paradigms but remains almost not studied for cocaine. This feasibility study’s main aim is to assess whether VRE to cocaine cues is capable to induce cocaine craving compared with VRE to neutral cues. We conducted a within-subjects controlled trial in which cocaine users performed 3 consecutive 10 mins-tasks: VRE to neutral and cocaine cues, and a relaxation-based resting procedure. The primary outcome was the change in Cocaine Craving Questionnaire-Brief (CCQ-Brief) scores between VRE to neutral and cocaine cues. Secondary outcomes included between-tasks changes in scores of cocaine craving, pleasant/unpleasant emotions as well as self-efficacy to cope with craving. We recruited 11 chronic cocaine users including mostly crack smokers (45 %), cocaine snorters (36 %) and injectors (18 %), with 73 % of participants meeting DSM-IV criteria for cocaine dependence and/or abuse. Non-parametrical sign tests indicated significant large increases of CCQ-Brief scores from neutral to cocaine cue-VRE (S(11) = 11, p < 0.01, Cliff’s Δ = 0.65, 95 % CI: 0.17–0.88). Exploratory comparative analyses indicated significant changes after our post-cues VRE relaxation procedure, with cocaine craving and emotions restored to baseline. VRE to cocaine cues was feasible and capable to induce cocaine craving in cocaine users. This second VRE-based cue-reactivity study in cocaine paves the way for unexplored research on VRE clinical applications for CUD.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	2352-8532 2352-8532
DOI:	10.1016/j.abrep.2024.100549