Drug abusers have impaired cerebral oxygenation and cognition during exercise

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 12; no. 11; p. e0188030
• Main Authors: Grandjean da Costa, Kell, Soares Rachetti, Vanessa, Quirino Alves da Silva, Weslley, Aranha Rego Cabral, Daniel, Gomes da Silva Machado, Daniel, Caldas Costa, Eduardo, Forti, Rodrigo Menezes, Mesquita, Rickson Coelho, Elsangedy, Hassan Mohamed, Hideki Okano, Alexandre, Bodnariuc Fontes, Eduardo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 10-11-2017; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Addictions; Adolescent; Adult; Aerobics; Animal behavior; Biology and Life Sciences; Brain - metabolism; Brain research; Cerebral anoxia; Cognition; Cognition & reasoning; Cognitive ability; Cognitive disorders; Decision making; Dopamine; Drug abuse; Drug abusers; Exercise; Exercise intensity; Female; Health aspects; Health sciences; Hemodynamics; Hemoglobin; Humans; Influence; Male; Medicine and Health Sciences; Metabolism; Middle Aged; Neurosciences; Oxygen; Oxygen Consumption; Oxygenation; Oxyhemoglobin; Physical education; Physical fitness; Physiological aspects; Prefrontal cortex; Psychological aspects; Reaction time; Risk factors; Social Sciences; Spectrum analysis; Substance abuse treatment; Substance use; Young Adult; Brazil
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0188030

Individuals with Substance Use Disorder (SUD) have lower baseline metabolic activity of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) associated with impairment of cognitive functions in decision-making and inhibitory control. Aerobic exercise has shown to improve PFC function and cognitive performance, however, its effects on SUD individuals remain unclear.
To verify the cognitive performance and oxygenation of the PFC during an incremental exercise in SUD individuals.
Fourteen individuals under SUD treatment performed a maximum graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer with continuous measurements of oxygen consumption, PFC oxygenation, and inhibitory control (Stroop test) every two minutes of exercise at different intensities. Fifteen non-SUD individuals performed the same protocol and were used as control group.
Exercise increased oxyhemoglobin (O2Hb) and total hemoglobin (tHb) by 9% and 7%, respectively. However, when compared to a non-SUD group, this increase was lower at high intensities (p<0.001), and the inhibitory cognitive control was lower at rest and during exercise (p<0.007). In addition, PFC hemodynamics during exercise was inversely correlated with inhibitory cognitive performance (reaction time) (r = -0.62, p = 0.001), and a lower craving perception for the specific abused substance (p = 0.0189) was reported immediately after exercise.
Despite SUD individuals having their PFC cerebral oxygenation increased during exercise, they presented lower cognition and oxygenation when compared to controls, especially at elevated intensities. These results may reinforce the role of exercise as an adjuvant treatment to improve PFC function and cognitive control in individuals with SUD.