CONFERENCE PROCEEDING
Virtual reality as a valid approach to study the environmental factors associated to smoking
1
Neuropsi Lab, Dept. Diagnostic and Public Health, Univ. of Verona, Verona, Italy
Tob. Prev. Cessation 2026;12(Supplement 1):A127
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND-AIM:
Nicotine-associated cues and context are relevant determinant factors to smoking craving and relapse. Since ecological studies in smoker’s environment are affected by limited control of variables and parameters, the use of laboratory Virtual Reality (VR) provided in the recent years a valid approach for investigations of either at-risk or protective conditions.
METHODS:
In the past, we performed different studies with VR on the effects of outdoor and indoor smoking environments. Here, we present more recent studies in both sex smokers on the effects of extinction or enriching therapies vs. cues and context reactivity by immersion and interaction in VR simulations. We investigated, 1) the effect of VR exposure therapy vs. retrieval of smoking memories, and, 2) the effect of VR enriched environmental (EE) simulation vs. cue and context reactivity. We assessed craving, mood and affective responses before and after craving triggers.
RESULTS:
In study 1, we showed that smoking memory -induced craving was inhibited by VR cue exposure during a period of memory post-retrieval destabilization, confirming that smoking memories may be de-evaluated. In study 2, we observed a significant reduction of smoking craving after exposure to a VR session of EE consisting in sensorimotor and cognitive stimulation. In this study 2, however, EE significantly inhibited cues and context the basal, but not the evoked, smoking craving, suggesting the need of more complex EE configurations (maybe, with social components) in order to gain significant efficacy.
CONCLUSIONS:
In conclusion, the studies here described confirm the feasibility and validity of the VR approach as a translational model in-between ecological and traditional pen-and-paper studies. We showed that VR offer the possibility to investigate psychological, physiological and behavioural correlates for smokers’ response to smoking environments. VR allows to identify the potential effects, as well as the limitations, of environmental intervention for smoking cessation. We strongly stress the integration of pharmacotherapy with specifically identified environmental factors for a potentiated therapeutic response, as we proposed with the concept of Ecocebo (the physical component of the placebo effect; Chiamulera et al., 2024).
Nicotine-associated cues and context are relevant determinant factors to smoking craving and relapse. Since ecological studies in smoker’s environment are affected by limited control of variables and parameters, the use of laboratory Virtual Reality (VR) provided in the recent years a valid approach for investigations of either at-risk or protective conditions.
METHODS:
In the past, we performed different studies with VR on the effects of outdoor and indoor smoking environments. Here, we present more recent studies in both sex smokers on the effects of extinction or enriching therapies vs. cues and context reactivity by immersion and interaction in VR simulations. We investigated, 1) the effect of VR exposure therapy vs. retrieval of smoking memories, and, 2) the effect of VR enriched environmental (EE) simulation vs. cue and context reactivity. We assessed craving, mood and affective responses before and after craving triggers.
RESULTS:
In study 1, we showed that smoking memory -induced craving was inhibited by VR cue exposure during a period of memory post-retrieval destabilization, confirming that smoking memories may be de-evaluated. In study 2, we observed a significant reduction of smoking craving after exposure to a VR session of EE consisting in sensorimotor and cognitive stimulation. In this study 2, however, EE significantly inhibited cues and context the basal, but not the evoked, smoking craving, suggesting the need of more complex EE configurations (maybe, with social components) in order to gain significant efficacy.
CONCLUSIONS:
In conclusion, the studies here described confirm the feasibility and validity of the VR approach as a translational model in-between ecological and traditional pen-and-paper studies. We showed that VR offer the possibility to investigate psychological, physiological and behavioural correlates for smokers’ response to smoking environments. VR allows to identify the potential effects, as well as the limitations, of environmental intervention for smoking cessation. We strongly stress the integration of pharmacotherapy with specifically identified environmental factors for a potentiated therapeutic response, as we proposed with the concept of Ecocebo (the physical component of the placebo effect; Chiamulera et al., 2024).
| eISSN: | 2459-3087 |
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