Aerobic Exercise for Cognitive Functioning in Patients With Substance Use Disorder

NCT05324085 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 1718453253020430
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 84
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Impaired cognitive function is common among patients with substance use disorder (SUD). This is particularly related to executive functions (EF), which includes abilities like decision-making, consequence analysis and impulse/self-control. EF is recognized as an important determinant of treatment outcome as it is associated with dropout rate, attendance to therapy sessions and absence of relapse following treatment termination. Exercise seem to improve cognitive/executive functions, particularly in individuals with cognitive impairments. Aerobic exercise also affects signaling substances and growth factors known to inhibit neural degeneration, and improves cerebral insulin sensitivity and blood flow, contributing to improved brain function. There is a lack of knowledge regarding how to improve EF in SUD patients, and whether such improvements can benefit other parts of the treatment, such as psychotherapy. Aerobic exercise is a well-recognized and cost-effective intervention for cardiovascular and metabolic health, with promising effects on cognitive/executive functions. A randomized controlled trial will be carried out to investigate the effects of aerobic exercise on EF, molecular markers of neuroplasticity and brain function, and treatment outcome in SUD patients. The investigators expect to achieve new knowledge regarding cognitive impairment among SUD patients and to what extent aerobic exercise can improve cognitive abilities and treatment outcome.

Conditions

Substance Abuse; Cognitive Dysfunction

Keywords

Exercise therapy; High-intensity interval training

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in executive function (EF)

  Change in executive function assessed with Behavior Rating Inventory of ExecutiveFunction, Adult (BRIEF-A). BRIEF-A is a 75-item standardized questionnaire appraising EFs in real-life situations. It incorporates self-reported cognitive characteristics and collects subjective information about the ability to maintain appropriate control of emotional responses and behavior.

  8 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (12)

• Change in Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score

  8 weeks

• Change in Stroop test score

  8 weeks

• Change in Digit Span test performance

  8 weeks

• Altered serum concentration of Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF)

  8 weeks

• Altered serum concentration of Klotho

  8 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Exercise intervention group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will undergo supervised treadmill exercise three times each week for eight weeks, in addition to treatment as usual (TAU).

Behavioral: High-intensity interval training; Behavioral: Treatment as usual

Control group

OTHER

Participants will undergo TAU. The content of TAU is broadly individualized but most often includes various forms of group therapy, psychotherapy, psychoeducation and physical activity. The physical activity schedule for the patients typically includes gym-based exercises, individualized by preference of each patient, and various outdoors activities, four times per week all together.

Behavioral: Treatment as usual

Interventions

High-intensity interval training BEHAVIORAL

Supervised exercise intervention, three times a week for eight weeks.

Also known as: HIIT

Exercise intervention group

Treatment as usual BEHAVIORAL

The content of TAU is broadly individualized but most often includes various forms of group therapy, psychotherapy, psychoeducation and physical activity. The physical activity schedule for the patients typically includes gym-based exercises, individualized by preference of each patient, and various outdoors activities, four times per week all together.

Control group; Exercise intervention group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Diagnosed substance use disorder (SUD) by ICD-10
• Being in residential inpatient treatment for SUD at Lade Addiction Treatment Center

You may not qualify if:

• Recent participation in regular aerobic high-intensity interval training (HIIT)
• Admissions shorter than 12 weeks
• Pregnant
• History of brain injury (except concussions)
• Any acute or chronic somatic or psychiatric condition (e.g. heart disease or psychosis) or a medication that would limit the ability to participate in the exercise training and testing procedures, or any of the other assessments.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• St. Olavs Hospital: lead
• Norwegian University of Science and Technology: collaborator
• Lade Behandlingssenter, Blå Kors: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Lade Behandlingssenter, Blåkors

Trondheim, Trøndelag, 7041, Norway

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Haberstroh C, Weider S, Flemmen G, Loe H, Andersson HW, Hallgren M, Mosti MP. The effect of high-intensity interval training on cognitive function in patients with substance use disorder: Study protocol for a two-armed randomized controlled trial. Front Sports Act Living. 2022 Dec 9;4:954561. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2022.954561. eCollection 2022.

  PMID: 36570498 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Substance-Related Disorders; Cognitive Dysfunction

Interventions

High-Intensity Interval Training; Therapeutics

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Chemically-Induced Disorders; Mental Disorders; Cognition Disorders; Neurocognitive Disorders

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Physical Conditioning, Human; Exercise; Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena

Study Officials

• Mats P Mosti, PhD

  Department of Research and Development, St. Olavs University Hospital

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 4, 2022
• First Posted: April 12, 2022
• Study Start: April 7, 2022
• Primary Completion: December 20, 2024
• Study Completion: December 20, 2024
• Last Updated: June 10, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-06

Locations

NO (1)