title: The effect of repeated exposure to virtual gambling cues on the urge to gamble.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of using a virtual reality (VR) casino environment in cue exposure therapy (CET) for gambling. The main objective of this study was to assess the ability of five VR casino cues to elicit subjective reactions and physiological responses that can be used within the CET paradigm. A second objective was to analyze changes in participants' urge to gamble after repeated exposure to a VR casino program and relaxation training.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve recreational gamblers were exposed to five virtual environments with casino-related cues that reproduced typical gambling situations. Self-reported subjective urges and psychophysiological responses were recorded during exposure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All virtual environments with casino-related cues generated craving in recreational gamblers, whereas no increase in the psychophysiological variables was observed. In addition, urges to gamble elicited by VR casino environment reduced through repeated exposure and relaxation training.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings provide evidence of the effectiveness of VR for simulating casino environments in the treatment of gambling.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Center for Defense Management, Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chan-Bin
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Su Mi
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ah Reum
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Gwak
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Bo Kyung
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jun-Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hee Yeon
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Gangnam Eulji Hospital, Eulji University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sam-Wook
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Dai Jin
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: choijs73@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jung-Seok
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Choi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D066249:Craving; D003463:Cues; D005715:Gambling / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012309:Risk-Taking; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D018910:Video Games / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Cue exposure therapy; Gambling; Relaxation training; Urge; Virtual reality