NCT03557632

Brief Summary

The study is examining the impact of a Virtual Reality Cue Exposure Therapy intervention on heroin cravings compared to Relapse Prevention Drug Education.

Trial Health

43
At Risk

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Trial has exceeded expected completion date
Enrollment
100

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Aug 2014

Longer than P75 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
unknown

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

August 1, 2014

Completed
3.7 years until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

April 17, 2018

Completed
2 months until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

June 15, 2018

Completed
1.2 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

August 31, 2019

Completed
7 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

March 31, 2020

Completed
Last Updated

August 6, 2018

Status Verified

August 1, 2018

Enrollment Period

5.1 years

First QC Date

April 17, 2018

Last Update Submit

August 2, 2018

Conditions

Keywords

Opioid DependenceInjection Drug UseHispanicsMexican AmericansVirtual Reality Cue Exposure

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

  • Self-reported reactivity to cues

    Self-reported craving on a scale from 0 (none) to 100 (highest ever)

    3 hours (6 blocks of 3 minutes with time in between each block); this is done in two consecutive weeks.

  • Lab-based reactivity to cues

    Heart rate (ECG) assessed in beats per minute using a Bioradio Wireless Physiology (see https://glneurotech.com/bioradio/psychophysiology-equipment/).

    3 hours (6 blocks of 3 minutes with time in between each block); this is done in two consecutive weeks. These are monitored continuously every 10th of a second.

  • Lab-based reactivity to cues

    Galvanic skin response (GSR) assessed using a Bioradio Wireless Physiology (see https://glneurotech.com/bioradio/psychophysiology-equipment/).

    3 hours (6 blocks of 3 minutes with time in between each block); this is done in two consecutive weeks. These are monitored continuously every 10th of a second.

  • Lab-based reactivity to cues

    Changes in muscle tension (EMG) assessed using a Bioradio Wireless Physiology (see https://glneurotech.com/bioradio/psychophysiology-equipment/).

    3 hours (6 blocks of 3 minutes with time in between each block); this is done in two consecutive weeks. These are monitored continuously every 10th of a second.

Secondary Outcomes (1)

  • Number of times of self-reported drug use in vivo during the week between lab sessions.

    Continuously during the 4 weeks

Study Arms (2)

TREATMENT:Virtual Reality Cue Exposure Therapy (VRCET)

EXPERIMENTAL

Virtual Reality Cue Exposure Therapy (VRCET) - Active Intervention - comprised of exposure to VR based heroin cues, such as heroin use paraphernalia and scenes of people using injection heroin or snorting heroin. Exposure will be supplemented by the use of a standardized CBT based skills coping protocol teaching relapse prevention skills such as urge surfing, thought stopping and reframing. Lab based reactivity will be measured by self-reported craving on a scale from 0 (none) to 100 (highest ever), heart rate, galvanic skin response, and muscle tension. Secondary outcome measures are number of times of self-reported drug use in vivo as recorded by a cell phone app based Ecological Momentary Assessment Device (EMA).

Behavioral: Virtual Reality Cue Exposure Therapy

Control: Relapse Prevention Drug Education

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Relapse Prevention Drug Education (RPDE) is our Active Comparator. Comprised of watching a series of videos on the health risks of heroin use as well as information about relapse prevention. Lab based reactivity will be measured by self-reported craving on a scale from 0 (none) to 100 (highest ever), heart rate, galvanic skin response, and muscle tension. Secondary outcome measures are number of times of self-reported drug use in vivo as recorded by a cell phone app based Ecological Momentary Assessment Device (EMA).

Behavioral: Relapse Prevention Drug Education

Interventions

As above.

TREATMENT:Virtual Reality Cue Exposure Therapy (VRCET)

As above.

Control: Relapse Prevention Drug Education

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 64 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

  • Injection or Non-Injection heroin user, 3 or more years of heroin use, Hispanic/Latino

You may not qualify if:

  • Non heroin user, non-Hispanic/Latino, younger than 18 or older than 64, treated with any medications having a potential effect on heroin craving, mood, or heroin cessation medications in the past 30 days; use of other prescription and non-prescription drugs that may affect participation; Fear of closed spaces or inability to wear VR goggles; Visual problems that effect viewing VR materials; History of seizures or seizure disorders; History of serious self-reported health problems; and women who are pregnant

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

University of Houston Virtual Reality Clinical Research Lab

Houston, Texas, 77204, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Heroin DependenceOpioid-Related Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Narcotic-Related DisordersSubstance-Related DisordersChemically-Induced DisordersMental Disorders

Central Study Contacts

Luis R Torres, PhD

CONTACT

Micki Washburn, PhD

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Model Details: The proposed study will use a between-groups, randomized controlled experimental design to test the effects of Virtual Reality Cue Exposure Therapy (VRCET) compared to Relapse Prevention Drug Education (RPDE) on self-reported drug craving, physiological reactivity (i.e., Galvanic Skin Conductance \[GSC\] and heart rate \[HR\]), craving coping skills, and drug use among Mexican American IDUs and NIDUs with heroin as their primary drug of choice (see design below). All participants who are former IDU will not be randomized and will complete the VRCET protocol.
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

April 17, 2018

First Posted

June 15, 2018

Study Start

August 1, 2014

Primary Completion

August 31, 2019

Study Completion

March 31, 2020

Last Updated

August 6, 2018

Record last verified: 2018-08

Locations