Effects of Olfactory Stimuli in Virtual Reality Cue Exposure on Craving and Attentional Bias in Alcohol Use Disorder

Sponsor
Charite University, Berlin, Germany
Study ID
NCT07667790
Status
Not Yet Recruiting

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Conditions

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
18 Years - 65 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • VR-CE — DEVICE
    Virtual reality cue exposure (VR-CE) using visual (neutral vs. alcohol-related VR scenarios) and olfactory (no odor vs. alcohol-related odor) stimuli conditions.

Study Details

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a prevalent and burdensome clinical condition with high relapse rates. A central risk factor for relapse is craving for alcohol-often accompanied by an attentional bias toward alcohol-related stimuli-which can be evoked by both real-world and virtual stimuli in immersive virtual reality (VR). In addition to visual and auditory stimuli, olfactory stimuli are increasingly recognized as important for creating realistic, multisensory VR environments. However, no systematic investigation has yet examined how olfactory stimuli embedded in VR-based cue exposure (VR-CE) influence craving and attentional bias in patients with AUD. The goal of this prospective experimental single-arm clinical study, with a 2 (visual stimuli: neutral vs. alcohol-related VR scenarios) × 2 (olfactory stimuli: no odor vs. alcohol-related odor) within-subjects factorial design, is to determine how visual and olfactory stimuli contribute to the outcomes during a multimodal VR-CE in patients with AUD. The main question is whether VR-CE with concurrent visual and olfactory alcohol-related stimuli induces a greater increase in craving and attentional bias from baseline than exposure to a single modality (visual or olfactory), as assessed by subjective and psychophysiological measures in patients with AUD.

Key Dates

First listed
Jun 25, 2026
Start date
Jul 1, 2026
Status verified
Jun 2026
Primary completion
Jul 31, 2027
Completion
Jul 31, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment
60 participants (estimated)
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
OTHER

Arms

  • Experimental: VR-CE
    The single-arm clinical study employs a 2 (visual: neutral vs. alcohol-related VR scenarios) × 2 (olfactory: no odor vs. alcohol-related odor) within-subjects factorial design. Each participant will complete all four conditions within the virtual reality cue exposure (VR-CE)

Primary Outcome Measure

Self-reported craving (VAS-C) [ Time Frame: Day 1, at minute 0:30, 2:30 and 4:30 during both VR baseline sessions and each VR-CE condition. ]

Central Contacts

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