The Benefit Effects Of Acute Aerobic Exercise For Methamphetamine-abusers

PURPOSE: Efficient pharmacological and psychosocial treatments for patients who abuse methamphetamine (MA) have not yet been established. This study aimed to determine the effect of acute exercise as a non-pharmacological intervention for MA-related craving; we additionally determine its effect on the inhibitory control induced by standard and MA-related tasks according to behavioral and neuroelectric measurements among MA-dependent individuals. METHODS: The present study employed a within-subjects, counterbalanced design. A total of 24 participants (31.46±6.58 yrs) who met DSM-IV criteria for MA dependence were recruited. Craving level, reaction time, and response accuracy, as well as the event-related potential (ERP) components N2 and P3, were measured following exercise and control treatments in a counterbalanced order. The exercise session consisted of an acute stationary cycle exercise at a moderate intensity (65-75% Max Heart Rate), whereas the control treatment consisted of active reading session. RESULTS: Self-reported MA craving significantly attenuated during (2.29±0.61) immediately following (1.67±0.49), and 50 min after the exercise session (1.33±0.48) compared with pre-exercise ratings (4.92±0.58, ps<0.001), where craving at these time points following exercise demonstrated lower scores than those in reading control session (3.79±0.56; 3.46±0.50; 3.08±0.54, ps<0.001, respectively). Acute exercise also facilitated inhibitory performance in both the standard and MA-related Go/No-go tasks. A larger N2 amplitude, but not P3, was observed during both tasks in the exercise session (-2.96±0.88 μV) and No-go condition (-0.81±0.81 μV) compared with the reading control session (-0.64±0.56 μV, p<0.01) and Go condition (0.78±0.63 μV, p<0.05), respectively. CONCLUSION: This is the first empirical study to demonstrate these beneficial effects of acute aerobic exercise at a moderate intensity on MA-related craving and inhibitory control in MA-dependent individuals. These results suggest a potential role for acute exercise to treat this specific type of substance abuse. Supported by Scientific and Technological Commission of Shanghai (No. 13490503600), Project of university and college’s Top Discipline (Psychology) Construction in Shanghai.