Acute effects of aerobic and resistance exercise on craving and cognitive function in individuals with heroin use disorder

Heroin use disorder (HUD) presents significant global health challenges, with cravings, emotional dysregulation, and cognitive impairments being key barriers to successful recovery. This study explores the acute effects of aerobic and resistance exercise on craving, emotional state, attentional bias, and executive functions in individuals with HUD. A crossover design was employed with 30 male participants diagnosed with HUD, each completing three interventions: high-intensity aerobic exercise (AEC), resistance exercise (REC), and a sedentary control condition (SCC). Assessments were conducted at 10 and 50 minutes post-intervention using a VAS for cravings, a Mood Adjective Checklist for emotional state, a dot-probe task for attentional bias, and Stroop, n-back, and More-Odd Switching tasks for executive functions. Results revealed that both AEC and REC significantly reduced craving and initial attentional bias toward drug-related cues. Both exercise conditions also improved emotional states, inhibitory control, and working memory. No significant differences were observed between the two exercise conditions, and neither exercise significantly influenced sustained attentional bias or cognitive flexibility. These findings suggest that both aerobic and resistance exercises are effective in reducing cravings, enhancing mood, and improving executive functions in HUD patients. The results provide support for incorporating structured exercise programs into addiction recovery frameworks to mitigate relapse risks.