Effects Of Tai Chi On The Executive Function And Physical Fitness Of Female Methamphetamine Dependents: A Randomized Controlled Trial

PURPOSE: Exercise has been reported to improve the health and mental status of drug dependents. However, as a special exercise treatment, how Tai Chi (TC) affects executive functions (EFs) of methamphetamine (MA) dependents has yet to be established. The study aimed to explore the effects of TC on the EF and physical fitness of MA dependents. METHODS: A total of 76 MA dependents were randomly assigned to the exercise and control group. The exercise group received three 60-min sessions of TC training per week for 12 weeks. The control group was trained with conventional exercises including the 9th Guang Bo Ti Cao and square dance under the supervision of administrators. Physical fitness and EF assessment evaluating inhibitory control (IC, go/no-go task), working memory (3-back task), and attention switching ability (switch task) were performed at baseline and 12 weeks. A repeated-measures ANOVAs was applied to analyze the differences of groups and times. RESULTS: The exercise group showed decreased response time (RT) with significant main effect of time in the go/no-go task (F(1, 68) = 9.6, p < 0.05). The interaction effect between time and group was significant in accuracy (F(1, 61) = 4.73, p = 0.03), and the main effect of time was significant in RT (F(1, 61) = 4.66, p < 0.05) in the 3-back task. Significant changes in BMI (f(1,68) = 19.57, p < 0.05), vital capacity (f(1,68) = 6.00, p < 0.05), and systolic blood pressure (f(1,68) = 6.11, p < 0.05) were also observed in the exercise group. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide evidence that 3 months of TC training can improve the IC and maintain the working memory and attention switching ability of MA dependents. Other data imply that TC may improve the physical fitness of MA dependents.