Neurobiology of substance use in adolescents and potential therapeutic effects of exercise for prevention and treatment of substance use disorders

Abstract

Substance (alcohol, marijuana, opioids, cocaine, etc.) use often initiates during adolescence, a critical period of physiological and social development marked by an increase in risk-taking due, in part, to heightened motivation to obtain arousal from rewards. Substance use during adolescence has been associated with a greater risk of substance use disorders (SUD) in adulthood. Although use rates for most substances have remained relatively stable, the frequency of marijuana use and perception that regular marijuana use is not harmful has increased in adolescents. Furthermore, the non-medical use of opioids has increased, particularly in the South, Midwest, and rural low-income communities. Substance use in adolescence has been associated with adverse structural and functional brain changes, and may exacerbate the natural “imbalance” between frontal/regulatory and cortical-subcortical circuits, leading to further heightened impulsive and reward-driven behaviors. Exercise increases growth and brain-derived neurotrophic factors that stimulate endogenous dopaminergic systems that, in turn, enhance general plasticity, learning, and memory. Exercise may help to reinforce the “naïve” or underdeveloped connections between neurological reward and regulatory processes in adolescence from the “bottom up” and “offset” reward seeking from substances, while concomitantly improving cardiovascular health, as well as academic and social achievement. In this review, we provide an overview of the current state of substance use in adolescents and, rationale for the utilization of exercise, particularly ‘assisted’ exercise, which we have shown increases neural activity in cortical-subcortical regions and may modulate brain dopamine levels during adolescence, a unique window of heightened reward sensitivity and neural plasticity, for the prevention and adjunctive treatment of SUD.

Physical Activity and Brain Health

“…In particular, DA regulates emotion and reward-related brain functions, and many authors have postulated that the positive properties of PA may be due to its ability to increase DA concentration [270,271,272]. Interestingly, PA increases the concentration of the same neurotransmitters, including DA, also activated by some drugs and alcohol [273], and this could be the reason why it improves mood in humans [274,275].…”

Long-Term Effects of Mind-Body Exercises on the Physical Fitness and Quality of Life of Individuals With Substance Use Disorder—A Randomized Trial

“…For people with SUD, the availability of and access to treatment services remain limited on the global level, as only one in seven people with SUD receives treatment each year (1). In China, 2.4 million drug users were registered nationwide, including 889,000 opioid abusers and 1,350,000 methamphetamine (MA) abusers, accounting for 42.1 and 57.3%, respectively, by the end of 2018 (2). SUD and related psychopathology are persistent problems in public health, which adversely affect the health and social functioning of sufferers, and are a major burden to their families and wider society (1)(2)(3).…”

“…In China, 2.4 million drug users were registered nationwide, including 889,000 opioid abusers and 1,350,000 methamphetamine (MA) abusers, accounting for 42.1 and 57.3%, respectively, by the end of 2018 (2). SUD and related psychopathology are persistent problems in public health, which adversely affect the health and social functioning of sufferers, and are a major burden to their families and wider society (1)(2)(3). MA use is associated with an increased severity of cardiomyopathy, mental disorder, and damage to the brain caused by neurotoxicity (4)(5)(6).…”

Thérapies corps-esprit en addictologie : apports de la psychomotricité

“…Il est connu que les activités sportives telles que la marche, l'aérobic ou le jogging, activent le même circuit de la récompense que les drogues, augmentent les concentrations de dopamine et d'endorphines cérébrales et s'opposent ainsi au stress et à l'anxiété (13). Il a de plus été montré, chez les adolescents, que l'activité physique régulière réduit le risque de consommation de substances psychoactives et réduit le risque de rechute chez ceux qui étaient dépendants et sont devenus abstinents (14). Chez les patients alcoolodépendants, la pratique sportive demande souvent trop d'énergie et il convient de proposer des thérapies alternatives.…”