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The identification of variables that can modulate the efficacy of cue exposure using virtual reality (VR) is crucial. This study aimed to explore determinant variables of cue-elicited alcohol craving and perceived realism (PR) of environments and alcoholic beverages during a VR cue-exposure session among alcohol use disorder (AUD) outpatients. A prospective cohort study was conducted amongst 72 outpatients with AUD from a clinical setting. Alcohol craving experienced during VR exposure and PR of virtual environments and alcoholic drinks were evaluated after a VR session of exposure to alcohol-related contexts and cues. Sociodemographic, psychological and consumption characteristics were examined as possible predicting variables. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that the AUD severity and PR of beverages were predictors of cue-elicited alcohol craving. Educational level, PR of beverages and age were predictors of the PR of VR environments. In relation to the PR of VR beverages, cue-elicited alcohol craving and the PR of environments were predictors. A simple mediational model was also performed to analyze the influence of the PR of beverages on the relationship between the AUD severity and alcohol craving experienced during VR exposure: an indirect or mediational effect was found. PR of alcoholic beverages was (1) a key predictor of the PR of VR environments (and vice versa) and the alcohol craving (and vice versa) experienced during VR cue-exposure sessions using ALCO-VR software among AUD patients and (2) a mediator between AUD severity and cue-elicited alcohol craving.

Background/Objective: Determining the predictive variables associated with levels of alcohol craving can ease the identification of patients who can benefit from treatments. This study aimed to describe changes (improvement or no change/deterioration) in alcohol craving levels and explore the predictors of these changes from admission to discharge in outpatients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) undergoing treatment-as-usual (TAU), or treatment-as-usual supplemented with virtual reality cue-exposure therapy (TAU + VR-CET). Method: A prospective cohort study was conducted amongst 42 outpatients with AUD (n = 15 TAU + VR-CET and n = 27 TAU) from a clinical setting. Changes in the levels of alcohol craving between admission and discharge were assessed with the Multidimensional Alcohol Craving Scale. Sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, education, and socioeconomic and civil status), cognitive-affective behavioral patterns (AUD severity, abstinence duration, psychiatric comorbidity, state anxiety, attentional bias, and substance use), and type of treatment (TAU + VR-CET and only TAU) were also evaluated. Results: The TAU + VR-CET group showed greater changes of improvement in the levels of alcohol craving than the TAU group (χ2 = 10.996; p = 0.001). Intragroup changes in alcohol craving from pre to post-treatment were significant in the TAU + VR-CET group (χ2 = 13.818; p = 0.003) but not within the TAU group (χ2 = 2.349; p = 0.503). The odds of an improvement in any of the craving levels between pre- and post-test was 18.18 (1/0.055) times higher in the TAU + VR-CET group with respect to the TAU group. The use of illicit drugs in the month prior to the test increased the odds of having a positive change by 18.18 (1/0.055) with respect to not having consumed. Conclusions: Including VR-CET in TAU programs may provide benefits in the treatment of AUDs mainly among patients with intense alcohol craving and individuals having used illicit substances prior to treatment This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality, Delegation of the Government for the National Plan on Drugs (FEDER/EU/Project 2016I078: ALCO-VR: Virtual reality-based protocol for the treatment of patients diagnosed with severe alcohol use disorder). The study also received support from AGAUR, Generalitat de Catalunya, 2017SGR1693

This study is part of a larger project aiming to develop a virtual reality (VR) software to be implemented as a clinical tool for patients diagnosed with alcohol use disorder (AUD). The study is based on previous research in which we identified factors that elicit craving for alcohol in a sample of AUD patients, and which led to the development of a virtual reality software to be used in cue exposure treatments of alcohol use disorder (ALCO-VR). The main objective of this study was to test the effectiveness of ALCO-VR to elicit cue-induced craving and anxiety responses among social drinkers (SD) and AUD patients. Our secondary objective was to explore which responses (cue-induced craving or anxiety) can best differentiate between AUD patients and the SD group. Method: Twenty-seven individuals (13 AUD patients and 14 SD) participated in this study after giving written informed consent. Their anxiety and alcohol craving levels were measured by different instruments at different stages of the procedure. The VR equipment consisted of Oculus Rift technology, and the software consisted of the ALCO-VR platform. Results: Our data indicate that the ALCO-VR software can elicit responses of anxiety and alcohol craving, especially in the group of AUD patients. The cue-induced anxiety response differentiated AUD patients and the SD group better than the cue-induced craving response. Conclusions: The general interest in applying new technologies to the assessment and treatment of mental health disorders has led to the development of immersive real-life simulations based on the advantages of VR technology. Our study concluded that the ALCO-VR software can elicit anxiety and craving responses and that cue-induced anxiety responses can distinguish between AUD and SD groups better than cue-induced craving. The data on craving and anxiety were assessed consistently by different instruments. In addition, we consider that ALCO-VR is able to ecologically assess cue-induced anxiety and alcohol craving levels during exposure to VR alcohol-related environment This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality, Delegation of the Government for the National Plan on Drugs (FEDER/UE/Project 2016I078: “ALCO-VR: Virtual Reality-based protocol for the treatment of patients diagnosed with severe alcohol use disorder”). The study also received support from AGAUR, Generalitat de Catalunya, 2017SGR1693

Background: Many studies have indicated that alcohol craving is a core mechanism in the acquisition, maintenance, and precipitation of relapse in alcohol use disorder (AUD). A common treatment approach in AUD is cue exposure therapy (CET). New technologies like virtual reality (VR) have the potential to enhance the effectiveness of CET by creating realistic scenarios in naturalistic environments. In this study, we aimed to determine relevant triggers of alcohol craving in patients with AUD. Methods: We enrolled 75 outpatients diagnosed with AUD according to the DSM-5 criteria Participants completed the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test and a self-administered questionnaire to assess alcohol craving. The variables included in the craving questionnaire were as follows: presence of others, situations, time of the day, day of the week, mood, and type of alcoholic beverage. Results: Greater levels of alcohol craving were seen in many situations, including being at a party, in a restaurant, in a bar or pub, and at home. Drinking alone and drinking with two or more friends were equally associated with higher levels of craving. Drinking at night and drinking at weekends also emerged as triggers for alcohol craving. Emotional states like anxiety or tension, sadness, stress, frustration, or irritability were highly associated with urges to drink alcohol. The alcoholic drinks most highly associated with increased levels of craving were beer, wine, and whisky. Gender and age implications were discussed. Conclusion: This study is part of a larger project aiming to develop and validate CET based on VR technology for patients with AUD who are resistant to classical treatment. The identified triggers have been used to develop relevant VR environments for CET, and further research is ongoing to implement our findings.

The field of assistive robotics is gaining traction in both research as well as industry communities. However, capabilities of existing robotic platforms still require improvements in order to implement meaningful human-robot interactions. We report on the design and implementation of an external system that significantly augments the person detection, tracking and identification capabilities of the Pepper robot. We perform a qualitative analysis of the improvements achieved by each system module under different interaction conditions and evaluate the whole system on hand of a scenario for elderly care assistance.

Background Alcohol use and misuse have been intensively studied, due to their negative consequences in the general population. Evidence-based literature emphasizes that alcohol craving plays a crucial role in the development and maintenance of alcohol-drinking patterns. Many individuals develop Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD); significantly, after treatment many also experience relapses, in which alcohol craving has been repeatedly implicated. Cue-exposure therapy (CET) has been widely used in the treatment of alcohol misuse, but the results are inconsistent. Virtual reality (VR) can add effectiveness to cue-exposure techniques by providing multiple variables and inputs that enable personalized alcohol use assessment and treatment. The aim of this review was to examine the applications of virtual reality in individuals who misuse alcohol. Method We conducted an exhaustive literature search of the Web of Science , Scopus , Embase , Google Scholar , and PsycInfo databases, using as search items terms such as “alcohol” and its derivates, and virtual reality. Results We identified 13 studies on alcohol craving that implemented virtual reality as an assessment or treatment tool. Conclusions The studies that incorporate VR present clear limitations. First, no clinical trials were conducted to explore the efficacy of the VR as a treatment tool; nor were there any studies of the generalization of craving responses in the real world, or of the long-term effects of VR treatment. Despite these limitations, the studies included showed consistent results as regards eliciting and reducing alcohol craving. We suggest that VR shows promise as a tool for the assessment and treatment of craving among individuals with alcohol misuse. Further studies implementing VR in the field of alcohol consumption are now required.