Physical Activity and Substance Abuse

描述（由申请人提供）：有氧运动产生一系列与药物滥用和依赖负相关的心理效应。例如，长期自愿运动可以提高自尊和幸福感，减少抑郁和焦虑。此外，流行病学研究报告说，参加促进身体健康的活动与青少年人群中较低的烟草和药物使用发生率有关。尽管有这些令人鼓舞的发现，但很少有临床和实验室的报道专门研究有氧运动与减少寻求药物行为倾向之间的潜在因果关系。在我们提出的一系列研究中，我们将评估有氧运动在以下方面的功效：(1)减少长期接触条件下可卡因摄入量的增加；(2)防止长时间暴食期间出现的药物摄入失调模式；(3)减少可卡因启动和线索诱导的戒断期后的恢复。这个项目将是第一个系统地检查运动对一系列行为过程的影响，这些过程被认为与成瘾行为的病因有关。此外，这些研究将检查运动对男性和女性受试者的影响，并确定这些影响是否存在性别差异。作为其转化诉求的一部分，该项目将研究锻炼作为预防性干预（即在开始吸毒之前）和治疗干预（即在自我给药牢固建立之后）的作用。总的来说，这些研究将大大提高我们对体育活动如何与内源性奖励系统相互作用以改变对可卡因敏感性的认识，并为设计和执行未来在临床人群中检查运动影响的研究提供重要指导。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Aerobic exercise produces a host of psychological effects that are negatively correlated with substance abuse and dependence. For instance, long-term voluntary exercise increases measures of self-esteem and well-being, and decreases measures of depression and anxiety. Moreover, epidemiological studies report that participation in activities that promote physical fitness is associated with a lower incidence of tobacco and substance use among adolescent populations. Despite these promising findings, remarkably few clinical and laboratory stories have specifically examined a potential causal relationship between aerobic exercise and a decreased propensity to engage in drug-seeking behavior. In the proposed series of studies, we will evaluate the efficacy of aerobic exercise to (1) attenuate the escalation of cocaine intake under extended-access conditions, (2) prevent the dysregulated patterns of drug intake that emerge during a prolonged binge, and (3) decrease cocaine-primed and cue-induced reinstatement following a period of abstinence. This project will be the first systematic examination of the effects of exercise on a range of behavioral processes that are believed to be involved in the etiology of addictive behavior. Furthermore, these studies will examine the effects of exercise in both male and female subjects, and determine whether there are sex differences in these effects. As part of its translational appeal, the project will examine exercise as both a preventative intervention (i.e., before drug use has been initiated) and as a treatment intervention (i.e., after self-administration has been firmly established). Collectively, these studies should significantly advance our knowledge on how physical activity interacts with the endogenous reward system to alter sensitivity to cocaine and provide critical guidance for the design and execution of future studies examining the effects of exercise in clinical populations. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Aerobic exercise has been recommended as a potential treatment for substance abuse, but very little research has been conducted on its ability to reduce drug self-administration. The purpose of this project is to examine the effectiveness of aerobic exercise to (1) reduce the escalation of cocaine intake under free-access conditions, (2) prevent the high rates of cocaine intake during a prolonged binge, and (3) decrease the reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior following exposure to cocaine or cocaine-related cues. This project will be the first systematic examination of the effects of exercise on a range of behavioral processes that are believed to be involved in the development of substance use disorders.