Alcohol DependenceNCT07388693
Feasibility of Integrating Olfactory Stimuli Into Virtual Reality Cue Exposure for Patients With Alcohol Dependence
A study testing VR Cue-Exposure Including Olfactory Stimuli in people with Alcohol Dependence, run by Charite University, Berlin, Germany at 1 site in Germany.
Trial summary
Alcohol dependence (AD) is a prevalent and burdensome clinical condition with high relapse rates. A central risk factor for relapse is craving for alcohol, which can be evoked by both real-world and virtual cues in immersive Virtual Reality (VR). Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 65 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Alcohol Dependence
- What is being tested?
- VR Cue-Exposure Including Olfactory Stimuli
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 20 participants
- Where
- 1 siteGermany
- Study dates
- 7 Mar 2026to 9 Sep 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 65 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- age: 18-65 years
- diagnosis of alcohol dependence according to ICD-10 (F10.2)
- history of alcohol craving
- able to provide written informed consent
Who cannot join
- hyposmia
- dependence on substances other than alcohol and nicotine
- current alcohol intoxication (randomly tested by measurement of breath alcohol concentration)
- unable to understand the study information, consent form or principles of the study
- abstinence for less than 7 days or ongoing consumption of alcohol
- severe neuropsychiatric disorder (e.g. schizophrenia spectrum disorders, bipolar affective disorder) or substantial cognitive impairment
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- serious illnesses affecting brain or heart function that influence physiological study parameters
- acute suicidality (or acute endangerment of others)
- concurrent pharmacological treatment targeting AUD (e.g. benzodiazepines) or craving (e.g. acamprosate, disulfiram, naltrexone, nalmefene) and further medication significantly influencing heart rate
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Germany1 site
Psychiatric University Hospital Charité at St. Hedwig Hospital
Berlin, State of Berlin, 10115
About this study
Alcohol dependence (AD) is a prevalent and burdensome clinical condition with high relapse rates. A central risk factor for relapse is craving for alcohol, which can be evoked by both real-world and virtual cues in immersive Virtual Reality (VR). In addition to visual and auditory stimuli, olfactory stimuli are increasingly recognized as important for creating realistic, multisensory VR environments. However, no systematic investigation has yet examined how olfactory stimuli embedded in VR-based Cue Exposure (VR-CE) influence cue-elicited craving. As part of the OLFA-VR (Effects of Olfactory Stimuli in Virtual Reality Cue Exposure on Craving in Alcohol Dependence) research project, the present feasibility study aims to evaluate the feasibility, tolerability and acceptability of implementing olfactory stimuli into VR-CE.
In addition, this study not only examines the general feasibility of alcohol-related olfactory stimuli in VR-CE but also explores which specific alcohol-related olfactory stimuli prove to be feasible.
The investigators hypothesize that implementing olfactory stimuli into VR-CE will be feasible and tolerable for patients with AD, with no preventable serious side effects caused by VR-CE. The investigators also hypothesize that VR-CE will induce craving in most patients.
Read the detailed description
Twenty patients with alcohol dependence (AD), treated in an inpatient or outpatient psychiatric clinic, will be included in the study. Participants will receive written and verbal information about the study and informed consent for participation will be obtained. A screening for eligibility will then be conducted. Sociodemographic data will be collected, and screening for harmful alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, AUDIT) and assessment of AD severity (Alcohol Dependence Scale, ADS) will be performed.
Participants will be exposed to two types of Virtual Reality (VR) scenarios combined with corresponding olfactory stimuli: a neutral VR scenario with neutral visual and olfactory stimuli (rose), and an alcohol-related VR scenario with alcohol-related visual and olfactory stimuli (beer, white wine, red wine, vodka, schnaps). The VR-CE protocol comprises one exposure to the neutral VR-CE followed by five alcohol-related VR-CEs. The five alcohol-related VR-CEs will be presented in a randomized order, each pairing a visual stimuli with the corresponding olfactory stimuli for a specific beverage.
- Conditions
- Alcohol Dependence
- Being tested
- VR Cue-Exposure Including Olfactory Stimuli
- Keywords
- Alcohol Dependence, Virtual Reality Cue Exposure, Olfactory
- Medical subject headings
- Alcoholism, Anosmia
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
VR Cue-Exposure Including Olfactory StimuliDevice
Virtual Reality Cue Exposure (NCT05861843, NCT06333457)
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Olfactory VR | Experimental | neutral and alcohol-related olfactory and visual stimuli in a Virtual Reality Cue Exposure Receives: Device: VR Cue-Exposure Including Olfactory Stimuli |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Feasibility of Integrating Olfactory Stimuli Into Virtual Reality Cue Exposure
Questions regarding olfactory stimuli identification, olfactory perception of intensity (0=imperceptible-100=intensely perceptible), realism (0=unrealistic-100=realistic) and congruence with visual stimuli (0=incongruous-100=congruous), higher scores reflect higher feasibility; dropout
Measured: Day 1, after each Virtual Reality Cue Exposure (VR-CE): questions regarding olfactory stimuli identification, olfactory perception of intensity, realism and congruence Day 1, after completion of all VR-CEs and assessments: dropout
Tolerability of Integrating Olfactory Stimuli Into Virtual Reality Cue Exposure
Questions regarding tolerability of the technology and olfactory stimuli (0=unpleasant-100=pleasant), higher scores reflect higher tolerability Emotional side effects: Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM; valence, arousal and dominance, range -8 to 8 in steps of 2; -8=happy/tense/submissive feeling, 0=neither happy/tense/submissive nor unhappy/calm/submissive, 8=unhappy/calm/submissive) and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; positive affect: range 10-50, higher score reflects higher levels of positive affect; negative affect: range 10-50, lower score reflects lower levels of negative affect) Physical side effects (cybersickness): Fast Motion Sickness Scale (FMS; range 0-20, higher score reflects higher levels of cybersickness) and Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ; total score, range 0-48, higher score reflects more sickness; nausea factor, 0-27 range, higher score reflects more nausea; oculomotor factor, range 0-21, higher score reflects more oculomotor problems)
Measured: Day 1, before the start of the Virtual Reality Cue Exposures (VR-CE): SAM, PANAS, FMS, SSQ Day 1, after each VR-CE: questions regarding tolerability, SAM, FMS Day 1, after completion of all VR-CEs: SAM, PANAS, FMS, SSQ
Acceptability of Integrating Olfactory Stimuli Into Virtual Reality Cue Exposure
Question regarding technical functionality User experience: User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ; pragmatic quality, hedonic quality and overall scale: range -3 to +3, -3=most negative, 0=neutral, +3=most positive answer) Semi-structured interview including overall impression, perceived usefulness of the integration of olfactory stimuli into Virtual Reality Cue Exposure (VR-CE), perceived willingness to use, open-ended feedback
Measured: Day 1, after each VR-CE: question regarding technical functionality Day 1, after completion of all VR-CEs: UEQ, semi-structured interview
Secondary outcomes (1)
Assessment of Initial Clinical Efficacy of Integrating Olfactory Stimuli Into Virtual Reality Cue Exposure
Craving: Visual Analogue Scale (VAS; range 0-10, higher score represents higher levels of craving) Semi-structured interview including perceived craving Presence: Visual Analogue Scale (VAS; range 0-10, higher score represents higher levels of presence)
Measured: Day 1, before the start of the Virtual Reality Cue Exposures (VR-CE), after each VR-CE and after completion of all VR-CEs: VAS craving and presence Day 1, after completion of all VR-CE: Semi-structured interview
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted5 Feb 2026
- Study start7 Mar 2026
- Primary completion9 Sep 2026
- Study completion9 Sep 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Alcohol DependenceStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Charite University, Berlin, GermanyThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 20 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Charite University, Berlin, Germany
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Alva Lütt, Charite University, Berlin, Germany
- Investigators
- Alva Lütt, Dr. med., Principal investigator, Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik der Charité im St. Hedwig Krankenhaus, 10115 Berlin, GermanyStefan Gutwinski, Prof. Dr. med., Principal investigator, Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik der Charité im St. Hedwig Krankenhaus, 10115 Berlin, Germany
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07388693
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- EA1/269/24_feasibility
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 20 Jan 2026
- Last updated
- 20 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 20 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Feasibility of Integrating Olfactory Stimuli Into Virtual Reality Cue Exposure for Patients With Alcohol Dependence
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07388693
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- EA1/269/24_feasibility
- Conditions
- Alcohol Dependence
- Keywords
- Alcohol Dependence, Virtual Reality Cue Exposure, Olfactory
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 20 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Charite University, Berlin, GermanyUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 7 Mar 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 9 Sep 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 9 Sep 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 5 Feb 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Alcohol dependence (AD) is a prevalent and burdensome clinical condition with high relapse rates. A central risk factor for relapse is craving for alcohol, which can be evoked by both real-world and virtual cues in immersive Virtual Reality (VR). In addition to visual and auditory stimuli, olfactory stimuli are increasingly recognized as important for creating realistic, multisensory VR environments. However, no systematic investigation has yet examined how olfactory stimuli embedded in VR-based Cue Exposure (VR-CE) influence cue-elicited craving. As part of the OLFA-VR (Effects of Olfactory Stimuli in Virtual Reality Cue Exposure on Craving in Alcohol Dependence) research project, the present feasibility study aims to evaluate the feasibility, tolerability and acceptability of implementing olfactory stimuli into VR-CE.
In addition, this study not only examines the general feasibility of alcohol-related olfactory stimuli in VR-CE but also explores which specific alcohol-related olfactory stimuli prove to be feasible.
The investigators hypothesize that implementing olfactory stimuli into VR-CE will be feasible and tolerable for patients with AD, with no preventable serious side effects caused by VR-CE. The investigators also hypothesize that VR-CE will induce craving in most patients.
Detailed description
Twenty patients with alcohol dependence (AD), treated in an inpatient or outpatient psychiatric clinic, will be included in the study. Participants will receive written and verbal information about the study and informed consent for participation will be obtained. A screening for eligibility will then be conducted. Sociodemographic data will be collected, and screening for harmful alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, AUDIT) and assessment of AD severity (Alcohol Dependence Scale, ADS) will be performed.
Participants will be exposed to two types of Virtual Reality (VR) scenarios combined with corresponding olfactory stimuli: a neutral VR scenario with neutral visual and olfactory stimuli (rose), and an alcohol-related VR scenario with alcohol-related visual and olfactory stimuli (beer, white wine, red wine, vodka, schnaps). The VR-CE protocol comprises one exposure to the neutral VR-CE followed by five alcohol-related VR-CEs. The five alcohol-related VR-CEs will be presented in a randomized order, each pairing a visual stimuli with the corresponding olfactory stimuli for a specific beverage.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Olfactory VR | Experimental | Device: VR Cue-Exposure Including Olfactory Stimulineutral and alcohol-related olfactory and visual stimuli in a Virtual Reality Cue Exposure |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 65 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- age: 18-65 years
- diagnosis of alcohol dependence according to ICD-10 (F10.2)
- history of alcohol craving
- able to provide written informed consent
Key exclusion criteria (9 listed)
- hyposmia
- dependence on substances other than alcohol and nicotine
- current alcohol intoxication (randomly tested by measurement of breath alcohol concentration)
- unable to understand the study information, consent form or principles of the study
- abstinence for less than 7 days or ongoing consumption of alcohol
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| VR Cue-Exposure Including Olfactory StimuliVirtual Reality Cue Exposure (NCT05861843, NCT06333457) | Device | Olfactory VR |
Primary outcome
Feasibility of Integrating Olfactory Stimuli Into Virtual Reality Cue Exposure
Time frame: Day 1, after each Virtual Reality Cue Exposure (VR-CE): questions regarding olfactory stimuli identification, olfactory perception of intensity, realism and congruence Day 1, after completion of all VR-CEs and assessments: dropout
Questions regarding olfactory stimuli identification, olfactory perception of intensity (0=imperceptible-100=intensely perceptible), realism (0=unrealistic-100=realistic) and congruence with visual stimuli (0=incongruous-100=congruous), higher scores reflect higher feasibility; dropout
Tolerability of Integrating Olfactory Stimuli Into Virtual Reality Cue Exposure
Time frame: Day 1, before the start of the Virtual Reality Cue Exposures (VR-CE): SAM, PANAS, FMS, SSQ Day 1, after each VR-CE: questions regarding tolerability, SAM, FMS Day 1, after completion of all VR-CEs: SAM, PANAS, FMS, SSQ
Questions regarding tolerability of the technology and olfactory stimuli (0=unpleasant-100=pleasant), higher scores reflect higher tolerability Emotional side effects: Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM; valence, arousal and dominance, range -8 to 8 in steps of 2; -8=happy/tense/submissive feeling, 0=neither happy/tense/submissive nor unhappy/calm/submissive, 8=unhappy/calm/submissive) and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; positive affect: range 10-50, higher score reflects higher levels of positive affect; negative affect: range 10-50, lower score reflects lower levels of negative affect) Physical side effects (cybersickness): Fast Motion Sickness Scale (FMS; range 0-20, higher score reflects higher levels of cybersickness) and Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ; total score, range 0-48, higher score reflects more sickness; nausea factor, 0-27 range, higher score reflects more nausea; oculomotor factor, range 0-21, higher score reflects more oculomotor problems)
Acceptability of Integrating Olfactory Stimuli Into Virtual Reality Cue Exposure
Time frame: Day 1, after each VR-CE: question regarding technical functionality Day 1, after completion of all VR-CEs: UEQ, semi-structured interview
Question regarding technical functionality User experience: User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ; pragmatic quality, hedonic quality and overall scale: range -3 to +3, -3=most negative, 0=neutral, +3=most positive answer) Semi-structured interview including overall impression, perceived usefulness of the integration of olfactory stimuli into Virtual Reality Cue Exposure (VR-CE), perceived willingness to use, open-ended feedback
1 secondary outcome
Assessment of Initial Clinical Efficacy of Integrating Olfactory Stimuli Into Virtual Reality Cue Exposure
Time frame: Day 1, before the start of the Virtual Reality Cue Exposures (VR-CE), after each VR-CE and after completion of all VR-CEs: VAS craving and presence Day 1, after completion of all VR-CE: Semi-structured interview
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 20 Oct 2026.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Alva Lütt, Dr. med. principal investigator
Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik der Charité im St. Hedwig Krankenhaus, 10115 Berlin, Germany
Stefan Gutwinski, Prof. Dr. med. principal investigator
Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik der Charité im St. Hedwig Krankenhaus, 10115 Berlin, Germany
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing VR Cue-Exposure Including Olfactory Stimuli in people with Alcohol Dependence, run by Charite University, Berlin, Germany at 1 site in Germany.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 9 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 20 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Germany. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Feasibility of Integrating Olfactory Stimuli Into Virtual Reality Cue Exposure (time frame: Day 1, after each Virtual Reality Cue Exposure (VR-CE): questions regarding olfactory stimuli identification, olfactory perception of intensity, realism and congruence Day 1, after completion of all VR-CEs and assessments: dropout). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 20 Oct 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 7 Nov 2026.