Courtney Kelly Elizabeth, Liu Weichen, Andrade Gianna, Schulze Jurgen, Doran Neal
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States.
Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States.
JMIR Serious Games. 2024 Jun 27;12:e54220. doi: 10.2196/54220.
Incentive salience processes are important for the development and maintenance of addiction. Eye characteristics such as gaze fixation time, pupil diameter, and spontaneous eyeblink rate (EBR) are theorized to reflect incentive salience and may serve as useful biomarkers. However, conventional cue exposure paradigms have limitations that may impede accurate assessment of these markers.
This study sought to evaluate the validity of these eye-tracking metrics as indicators of incentive salience within a virtual reality (VR) environment replicating real-world situations of nicotine and tobacco product (NTP) use.
NTP users from the community were recruited and grouped by NTP use patterns: nondaily (n=33) and daily (n=75) use. Participants underwent the NTP cue VR paradigm and completed measures of nicotine craving, NTP use history, and VR-related assessments. Eye-gaze fixation time (attentional bias) and pupillometry in response to NTP versus control cues and EBR during the active and neutral VR scenes were recorded and analyzed using ANOVA and analysis of covariance models.
Greater subjective craving, as measured by the Tobacco Craving Questionnaire-Short Form, following active versus neutral scenes was observed (F1,106=47.95; P<.001). Greater mean eye-gaze fixation time (F1,106=48.34; P<.001) and pupil diameter (F1,102=5.99; P=.02) in response to NTP versus control cues were also detected. Evidence of NTP use group effects was observed in fixation time and pupillometry analyses, as well as correlations between these metrics, NTP use history, and nicotine craving. No significant associations were observed with EBR.
This study provides additional evidence for attentional bias, as measured via eye-gaze fixation time, and pupillometry as useful biomarkers of incentive salience, and partially supports theories suggesting that incentive salience diminishes as nicotine dependence severity increases.
动机显著性过程对于成瘾的发展和维持至关重要。诸如注视时间、瞳孔直径和自发眨眼率（EBR）等眼部特征被认为可以反映动机显著性，并可能作为有用的生物标志物。然而，传统的线索暴露范式存在局限性，可能会妨碍对这些指标的准确评估。
本研究旨在评估在虚拟现实（VR）环境中复制尼古丁和烟草制品（NTP）使用的真实场景时，这些眼动追踪指标作为动机显著性指标的有效性。
招募社区中的NTP使用者，并根据NTP使用模式进行分组：非每日使用（n = 33）和每日使用（n = 75）。参与者接受NTP线索VR范式，并完成尼古丁渴望、NTP使用历史和VR相关评估的测量。记录并使用方差分析和协方差分析模型分析在主动和中性VR场景中，对NTP与对照线索的眼注视时间（注意力偏差）和瞳孔测量，以及EBR。
通过简短版烟草渴望问卷测量，观察到主动场景后比中性场景有更高的主观渴望（F1,106 = 47.95；P <.001）。还检测到对NTP与对照线索的平均眼注视时间更长（F1,106 = 48.34；P <.001）和瞳孔直径更大（F1,102 = 5.99；P =.02）。在注视时间和瞳孔测量分析中观察到NTP使用组效应的证据，以及这些指标、NTP使用历史和尼古丁渴望之间的相关性。未观察到与EBR有显著关联。
本研究为通过眼注视时间测量的注意力偏差以及瞳孔测量作为动机显著性的有用生物标志物提供了额外证据，并部分支持了随着尼古丁依赖严重程度增加动机显著性降低的理论。
