Reactivity to Cannabis Cues in Virtual Reality Environments

Overview

Journal J Psychoactive Drugs

Specialties Pharmacology
Psychiatry

Date 2009 Aug 27

PMID 19705672

Citations 22

Authors

Patrick S Bordnick

Hilary L Copp

Amy Traylor

Ken M Graap

Brian L Carter

Alicia Walton

Mirtha Ferrer

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) cue environments have been developed and successfully tested in nicotine, cocaine, and alcohol abusers. Aims in the current article include the development and testing of a novel VR cannabis cue reactivity assessment system. It was hypothesized that subjective craving levels and attention to cannabis cues would be higher in VR environments with cannabis cues compared to VR neutral environments. Twenty nontreatment-seeking current cannabis smokers participated in the VR cue trial. During the VR cue trial, participants were exposed to four virtual environments that contained audio, visual, olfactory, and vibrotactile sensory stimuli. Two VR environments contained cannabis cues that consisted of a party room in which people were smoking cannabis and a room containing cannabis paraphernalia without people. Two VR neutral rooms without cannabis cues consisted of a digital art gallery with nature videos. Subjective craving and attention to cues were significantly higher in the VR cannabis environments compared to the VR neutral environments. These findings indicate that VR cannabis cue reactivity may offer a new technology-based method to advance addiction research and treatment.

Citing Articles

Comparing the effectiveness of virtual reality vs 2D display-based cue reactivity paradigms to induce nicotine-craving: a behavioral and psychophysiological study.

Girondini M, Pieri L, Gallace A Sci Rep. 2025; 15(1):5944.

PMID: 39966540 PMC: 11836303. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-82487-4.

Attentional Bias, Pupillometry, and Spontaneous Blink Rate: Eye Characteristic Assessment Within a Translatable Nicotine Cue Virtual Reality Paradigm.

Courtney K, Liu W, Andrade G, Schulze J, Doran N JMIR Serious Games. 2024; 12:e54220.

PMID: 38952012 PMC: 11220568. DOI: 10.2196/54220.

Impaired Brain-Heart Relation in Patients With Methamphetamine Use Disorder During VR Induction of Drug Cue Reactivity.

Chen C, Chung C, Tsai M, Wu E, Chiu P, Tsai P IEEE J Transl Eng Health Med. 2023; 12:1-9.

PMID: 38059128 PMC: 10697298. DOI: 10.1109/JTEHM.2022.3206333.

VR for Studying the Neuroscience of Emotional Responses.

Andreatta M, Winkler M, Collins P, Gromer D, Gall D, Pauli P Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2023; 65:161-187.

PMID: 36592276 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2022_405.

Using Virtual Reality to Induce and Assess Objective Correlates of Nicotine Craving: Paradigm Development Study.

Liu W, Andrade G, Schulze J, Doran N, Courtney K JMIR Serious Games. 2022; 10(1):e32243.

PMID: 35166685 PMC: 8889474. DOI: 10.2196/32243.

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