Purpose: Exercise improves the health and mental status of drug dependents. The way by which Tai Chi (TC) as a special exercise treatment affects executive functions (EFs) of methamphetamine (MA) dependents is yet to be established. This study aimed to explore the effects of TC on the EFs and physical fitness of MA dependents.Methods: A total of 76 female MA dependents were randomly assigned to the exercise and control groups. The exercise group underwent 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. Physical fitness and EF assessments that evaluated inhibitory control (IC, go/no-go task), working memory (3-back task) and cognitive flexibility (switching task) were performed at baseline and at 12 weeks. A repeated-measures ANOVA was applied to analyze the differences of group and time.Results: The exercise group showed decreased response time (RT) with a significant main effect of time on the go/no-go task [F(1, 68) = 9.6, p < 0.05]. The interaction effect between time and group was significant on accuracy [F(1, 61) = 4.73, p < 0.05], and the main effect of time was significant on RT [F(1, 61) = 4.66, p < 0.05] in the 3-back task of the exercise group. 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 observed in the exercise group.Conclusion: These findings showed that 3 months of TC training can improve the IC and maintain the working memory and cognitive flexibility of MA dependents. Other data implied that TC may improve the physical fitness of MA dependents.Clinical Trial Registration:http://www.chictr.org.cn/, ChiCTR1900022091.

Background HIIT has recently been widely used for health promotion in healthy people and patients with chronic diseases. Exercise can help SUD reduce drug cravings, enhance mental health and return to normal life. However, whether HIIT can bring better physical rehabilitation benefits to individuals with SUD than MICT is unclear. The study aimed to compare the effects of HIIT versus MICT on the physical fitness of individuals with SUD. Methods One hundred twenty individuals with amphetamine-type stimulant dependence voluntarily participated in this study. They were randomly assigned to the HIIT group and MICT group. Both groups received training three times a week. The intervention lasted from January 2019 to December 2019. Physical fitness was assessed at the baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months, including blood pressure (BP), vital capacity(VC), hand grip, push-up, sit-and-reach, one-leg standing with eyes closed and choice reaction time. The craving level was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale at baseline, 6 months and 12 months to see any change along with the improvement in physical fitness. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA was applied to analyse the differences in change by group (HIIT and MICT) and time (baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months). Results The within-group factor displayed significant changes in the HIIT and MICT groups in terms of systolic BP (F (4,336) = 12.799, P < 0.001,η2 = 0.204), diastolic BP (F(4,336) = 9.495, P < 0.001, η2 = 0.16), VC (F(4,336) = 18.121, P < 0.001, η2 = 0.177), hand grip (F(4,336) = 34.815, P < 0.001, η2 = 0.293), sit-and-reach (F(4,336) = 13.871, P < 0.001, η2 = 0.142), push-up (F(4,336) = 28.805, P < 0.001, η2 = 0.255), one-leg standing with eyes closed (F(4,336) = 14.495, P < 0.001, η2 = 0.156) and choice reaction time (F(4,336) = 20.603, P < 0.001, η2 = 0.197). The craving level decreased after 12 months of intervention in both groups (F(2,168) = 11.25, P < 0.001, η2 = 0.118), but no significant differences in physical fitness and craving level were found in between groups and the interactions of group × time. Conclusions After 12 months of intervention, physical fitness improved while craving level decreased in the two groups. These findings suggest that both HIIT and MICT have positive effects on individuals with SUD in terms of physical fitness. Trial registration ChiCTR1900022158 Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: Registered 27th March, 2019.

Introduction Cognitive deficit is a common syndrome of methamphetamine (MA) dependence. It is related to decision-making, control ability, and social functioning. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a training technique that requires people to work out at full intensity during a short period. Many studies have already shown the potential effects of HIIT on cognitive functions. The purpose of this trial is to evaluate the cognitive effects of HIIT on individuals with MA dependence. Methods and analysis A total of 240 individuals with MA dependence will be randomly assigned to the HIIT group, moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) group and control (CON) group. HIIT will consist of a 24-min HIIT exercise on a treadmill. MICT will consist of a 1-h body–mind exercise. CON will be their traditional intervention. The experimental period will be 12 months with 3 interventions weekly for the first 6 months and follow-up for the next 6 months. All subjects will be given cognitive tests at baseline, after intervention and at follow-up. Cognitive performances will be compared by a mixed-model analysis for repeated measures. Discussion HIIT training may reduce illicit drug cravings amongst individuals with MA dependence; hence, HIIT may have a good effect on the cognitive functions, such as memory and executive function, of individuals with MA dependence. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2000032492. Registered on April 30, 2020 (http://www.chictr.org.cn/edit.aspx?pid=52127&htm=4)

Background: High-intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has recently been widely used for health promotion in healthy people and patients with chronic diseases. It is not clear whether HIIT can bring better physical rehabilitation benefits to individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) than that of Moderate-intensity continuous Training (MICT). The study aimed to compare the effects of HIIT versus MICT on the physical fitness of individuals with SUD.Methods: A total 120 individuals with amphetamine-type stimulant dependent from a compulsory drug rehabilitation center voluntarily took part in this study. They were randomly assigned to the HIIT group (experimental group) and MICT group (control group). The subjects in experimental group received HIIT training three times a week (80%-85%HRMax, 60min). The exercise included rope jumping, running, weight training and basketball game. The subjects from control group received MICT 3 times a week (60%HRMax, 60min), including Tai Chi, mind-body exercise and recreation activity. Physical fitness assessment were performed at the baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months exercise intervention including blood pressure (BP), vital capacity (VC), hand grip, push-up, sit-and-reach, one-leg-stand with eyes closed and choice reaction time. The craving level was assessed using the visual analog scale （VAS）at the baseline, 6 months and 12 months. A two-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to test whether the intervention were different after 12 months.Results: The within-group factor displayed significant changes in HIIT and MICT groups in terms of the systolic BP (F (4,336) =12.799), diastolic BP (F(4,336) =9.495), VC (F(4,336)=18.121), hand grip (F(4,336)=34.815), sit-and-reach (F(4,336) =13.871), choice reaction time (F(4,336) =20.603), one-leg-stand with eyes closed (F(4,336) =14.495) and push-up (F(4,336) =28.805). The craving level decreased after 12 months intervention in both groups (F(2,168) =11.25, P<0.001), but there was not significant differences between HIIT and MICT group.Conclusion: Both HIIT and MICT can promote the physical fitness rehabilitation for individuals with SUD. Clinical Trials Registry: ChiCTR1900022158 Chinese Clinical Trial Registry

No abstract