INTRODUCTION: Drug dependence causes an overestimation of drug-related stimuli and an underestimation of non-drug-related stimuli, such as food. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of acute moderate-intensity dance and aerobic exercise on drug craving, appetite, prefrontal neural activation to food cues and food reward in women with MA dependence. METHODS: Thirty-nine women who met the DSM-V MA dependence criteria participated in the experiment and were randomly assigned to either a dance (n = 20) or exercise (n = 19) group. A moderate-intensity (65% to 75% max HR) 35-minute dance or treadmill intervention counterbalanced with a reading control session were conducted. After the intervention or control, subjective drug craving was measured before and after exposure to drug-related cues. Visual analog scales (VAS) were used to measure subjective feelings of appetite. Participants then completed a visual food cue paradigm while using Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) to monitor prefrontal blood oxygen changes. Finally, the Leeds Food Preference Questionnaire (LFPQ) was used to measure reward responses to different categories of food. RESULTS: The results showed that the dance and exercise interventions reduced subjective craving for drugs after being exposed to drug cues (p = 0.019). Implicit wanting (p < 0.001) and relative preferences (p = 0.001) for high-calorie savoury foods were all increased after interventions relative to control. Compared with the control session, the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (p = 0.020) was activated when viewing high-calorie foods after moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. CONCLUSIONS: The current results support the use of moderate-intensity exercise as a therapeutic intervention to restore the balance between drug and non-drug rewards by decreasing cue-induced MA craving and increasing food reward.

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