Effects of different exercise patterns on drug craving in female methamphetamine-dependent patients: Evidence from behavior and fNIRS

To explore the effects of short-term moderate-intensity cycle ergometer and aerobic calisthenics training on drug craving and brain activity. Forty female methamphetamine (MA)-dependent patients were randomly assigned to receive 30 min of either moderate-intensity cycle ergometer or aerobic calisthenics training. Before and after exercise, drug-cue exposure task was used to assess changes in subjective drug craving, and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to assess activation of prefrontal cortex. After the intervention, drug craving was significantly decreased in both groups, and activation of frontal polar area (FPA) was significantly decreased in the cycle ergometer group. Functional connectivity between right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and FPA in the aerobic calisthenics group was significantly reduced. Pre-exercise levels of drug craving correlated positively with FPA activation. Both short-term moderate-intensity cycle ergometer and aerobic calisthenics training effectively reduced subjective drug craving in female MA-dependent patients. Cycle ergometer training mainly decreased neural activity in FPA, and likely suppressed drug craving by reducing the episodic memory and pleasure experience of drug-related cues. Aerobic calisthenics training reduced functional connectivity between FPA and right DLPFC, and likely helped subjects reduce the motivation for drug-related behavior and inhibit drug craving.