Effects of Acute Moderate- and High-Intensity Aerobic Exercise on Oxygenation in Prefrontal Cortex of Male Methamphetamine-Dependent Patients

The aim of this study was to explore the influence of different intensities of acute aerobic exercise on brain activation in male methamphetamine (MA)-dependent patients during exercise. Twenty MA-dependent patients were divided randomly into two groups participating in 35 min of either moderate- or high-intensity aerobic exercise. Functional near-infrared spectral imaging (fNIRS) was used to detect hemodynamic changes in prefrontal cortex during the main 25-min exercise stage. The results revealed that high-intensity acute aerobic exercise aroused more cerebral oxygenation changes in the prefrontal cortex and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during exercise as compared with moderate-intensity exercise. Furthermore, there was a stronger positive connection observed between orbital frontal cortex and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in the high-intensity group than in the moderate-intensity group. Together these results suggest that for submaximal exercise intensities, high-intensity exercise may bring more benefits to male MA-dependent patients than moderate-intensity.