Relapse remains a critical issue in addiction treatment, with exposure to stimuli that can 'trigger' previously conditioned responses of substance use identified as a correlated factor in relapse. Studies assessing cue exposure techniques in addiction treatment have reported some success. Virtual Reality (VR) technology can potentially improve cue exposure techniques by combining greater realism with a controlled environment. This Phase I study plans to demonstrate the clinical assessment potential of VR cue exposure in addiction treatment. The VR medium's immersive and interactive component should produce more profound and rapid reactivity to triggers than traditional drug cue exposure. Participants' reactivity to VR cue exposure will be indicative of the feasibility of this approach. Once established Phase II will study the efficacy of repeated VR drug cue exposure as a component of addiction treatment. The current study will employ a two group between and within subjects design, with assignment to either the VR of TV medium, with all subjects receiving both drug and non-drug cue exposure. Physiological and subjective measures of reactivity will be assessed. Effective use of VR technology in addiction assessment, research and treatment would present a myriad of potential implications for education and prevention programs. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: 1) VR system which provides clinical assessment & interventions in drug treatment settings. 2) Prevention & Education for specific population 3) VR system utilized in the screening of "drug treatment" medication, i.e.cocaine drug/vaccine 4) Work in conjunction with brain imaging
Thesaurus Terms: computer human interaction, computer simulation, computer system design /evaluation, cue, drug abuse therapy, drug addiction, technology /technique development human therapy evaluation, imagery, stimulus /response, television clinical research, human subject
