NCT07388693

Feasibility of Integrating Olfactory Stimuli Into Virtual Reality Cue Exposure for Patients With Alcohol Dependence

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 20 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Charite University, Berlin, Germany · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Alcohol dependence (AD) is a prevalent and burdensome clinical condition with high relapse rates. A central risk factor for relapse is craving for alcohol, which can be evoked by both real-world and virtual cues 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 cue-elicited craving. As part of the OLFA-VR (Effects of Olfactory Stimuli in Virtual Reality Cue Exposure on Craving in Alcohol Dependence) research project, the present feasibility study aims to evaluate the feasibility, tolerability and acceptability of implementing olfactory stimuli into VR-CE. In addition, this study not only examines the general feasibility of alcohol-related olfactory stimuli in VR-CE but also explores which specific alcohol-related olfactory stimuli prove to be feasible. The investigators hypothesize that implementing olfactory stimuli into VR-CE will be feasible and tolerable for patients with AD, with no preventable serious side effects caused by VR-CE. The investigators also hypothesize that VR-CE will induce craving in most patients.

Detailed description

Twenty patients with alcohol dependence (AD), treated in an inpatient or outpatient psychiatric clinic, will be included in the study. Participants will receive written and verbal information about the study and informed consent for participation will be obtained. A screening for eligibility will then be conducted. Sociodemographic data will be collected, and screening for harmful alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, AUDIT) and assessment of AD severity (Alcohol Dependence Scale, ADS) will be performed. Participants will be exposed to two types of Virtual Reality (VR) scenarios combined with corresponding olfactory stimuli: a neutral VR scenario with neutral visual and olfactory stimuli (rose), and an alcohol-related VR scenario with alcohol-related visual and olfactory stimuli (beer, white wine, red wine, vodka, schnaps). The VR-CE protocol comprises one exposure to the neutral VR-CE followed by five alcohol-related VR-CEs. The five alcohol-related VR-CEs will be presented in a randomized order, each pairing a visual stimuli with the corresponding olfactory stimuli for a specific beverage.

Conditions

• Alcohol Dependence

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	VR Cue-Exposure Including Olfactory Stimuli	Virtual Reality Cue Exposure (NCT05861843, NCT06333457)

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-03-07
• Primary completion: 2026-05-31
• Completion: 2026-05-31
• First posted: 2026-02-05
• Last updated: 2026-04-13

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Germany