Title | A virtual reality counterconditioning procedure to reduce methamphetamine cue-induced craving. | ||
Author | Wang, Yong-Guang; Liu, Meng-Hui; Shen, Zhi-Hua | ||
Journal | J Psychiatr Res | Publication Year/Month | 2019-Sep |
PMID | 31226580 | PMCID | -N/A- |
Affiliation + expend | 1.Department of Brain Functioning Research, The Seventh Hospital of Hangzhou, 305 Tianmushan Road, Hangzhou, 310013, Zhejiang Province, China; Anhui Psychiatric Medical Center, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui Province, China; Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Drug Abuse Research, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. Electronic address: wangyongguang78@163.com. |
The present work developed a virtual reality (VR) counterconditioning procedure (VRCP), and investigated its efficacy in treatment of cue-induced craving in individuals with methamphetamine (METH) dependence. In study 1, thirty-one patients diagnosed with METH dependence received VRCP, while twenty-nine METH-dependent patients in waiting-list group did not. In study 2, the VRCP was computerized as a VR treatment system. Six-hundred and twelve abstinent individuals with a history of METH dependence received the computerized VRCP, while two-hundred seventy-six abstinent individuals with a history of METH dependence in waiting-list group did not. Patients with METH dependence who received VRCP showed a significantly larger decrease on the score of METH-craving and METH-liking from baseline to follow-up assessments, compared to those who did not received VRCP. Participants received VRCP showed a significantly larger decrease in HRV indexes on time domain and non-linear domain from baseline to follow-up assessments during exposure to VR cues, compared to those in waiting-list group. These findings indicate that the counterconditioning procedure under VR environment may be a useful strategy in suppressing cue-induced reactivity for patients with METH dependence.