NCT06317753

Can Exercise Rewire the Brain Addiction Circuitry?

Can Exercise Rewire the Brain Addiction Circuitry? A Randomized Trial of Exercise and Binge Drinking

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 60 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Minho · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 24 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The aim of the present study is to apply neuroimaging techniques to investigate how physical exercise may influence the addiction circuitry, ultimately reducing alcohol consumption and craving in youth binge drinkers. This proposal will advance knowledge on how exercise may modulate the neurocircuitry of addiction. Uncovering the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the interactive neural effects of exercise and alcohol intake may provide additional scientific insights for the development of preventive and intervention programs for youth BD and AUD.

Detailed description

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.

Conditions

• Physical Exercise

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Aerobic Exercise	Participants allocated to the Aerobic condition will be following a 4 month-intervention aerobic exercise protocol of 3 weekly interleaved sessions with a 50 minutes duration
BEHAVIORAL	Agility-Cognitive Exercise	Participants allocated to the Agility-Cognitive condition will be following a 4 month-intervention agility-cognitive exercise protocol of 3 weekly interleaved sessions with a 50 minutes duration
BEHAVIORAL	Stretching/relaxation	Participants allocated to the stretching control condition will be following a 4 month-intervention protocol of 1 weekly session with a 50 minutes duration

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-01-01
• Primary completion: 2027-12-01
• Completion: 2027-12-01
• First posted: 2024-03-19
• Last updated: 2025-04-03