Can Exercise Rewire the Brain Addiction Circuitry?

The proposed research plan focuses on the identification of changes in the structural and functional brain parameters (e.g. volume, brain activity), in response to a physical exercise (PE) protocol, on the neurocircuitry of addiction, after a 4 month-intervention program in college binge drinkers (BDs). The main objectives of this proposal are: O1) to evaluate the potential benefits of PE on the brain structure and function, particularly in the neurocircuitry of addiction, in a sample of Portuguese college students with a binge drinking pattern of alcohol use; and O2) to determine whether the PE intervention reduces craving and alcohol consumption levels in BDs. The present project will involve: i) a pre-intervention comprehensive evaluation of behavioral (alcohol consumption), psychological (craving levels), physiological (VO2, HRV), and neurological (neuroimaging) variables; ii) a training phase consisting of 48 sessions (3 weekly sessions*16 weeks) of aerobic (exp group 1), agility-cognitive (exp group 2) exercise and stretching (control group; iii) a post-intervention evaluation of behavioral, physiological, and neurological (neuroimaging) variables; iv) and a 6 months' follow- up evaluation of behavioral, physiologicaln and cognitive variables. A randomized controlled trial will be implemented at the University of Minho. It will include a total of 60 college students with a binge drinking pattern of alcohol intake, 20 participants per condition.

Inclusion criteria

• binge drinking > or = 5 ; > or =4 for women alcoholic drinks
• in the same time window (±2h)
• at least once per month
• <150 minutes of physical activity per week

Exclusion criteria

• Major and/or unstable medical conditions
• Physical limitations that may constraint the practice of exercise
• Cardiovascular and respiratory insufficiency
• History of traumatic brain injury or neurological disorder
• Non-corrected sensory deficits
• Personal history of psychopathological disorders
• Family history of alcoholism or substance abuse in first degree relatives
• Consumption of medical drugs with psychoactive effects (e.g., sedatives or anxiolytics) during the month previous to the assessment
• Use of illegal drugs and AUDIT scores >20
• MRI contraindications
• Current or previous (past year) participation in a physical exercise program