The Impact of Exercise Training in the Treatment of Drug Addiction. the Role of Changes in Neurotransmitters

Abstract

Background. Dopamine and serotonin including are among neurotransmitters involved in addiction to drugs such as the methamphetamine, which suffered cause major damage. This study aimed to investigate the effect of exercise training in the treatment of drug addiction with respect to the changes in neurotransmitters). Methods. In this study, English and Persian databases including Magiran, SID, Google Scholar, PubMed and Scopus were searched, using keywords such as Exercise, Neurotransmitter, Health Treatment and Patient Addiction. Related articles published during 1986–2017 were assessed. Prevalence of depression in diabetic patients, as well as the relationship between depression and different variables including age, sex, and marital status, was evaluated. This study presents a review of research that has examined the effects of exercise training on drug addiction. Results. Regular physical activity as aerobic and resistance training resulted in a signifcant increase in circulatory levels of serotonin and dopamine. Conclusion. Based on the results achieved by literature analysis and reliance on its major fndings it can be concluded that physical activity and exercise training can have an effect on the circulatory levels of both neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine in addicted people to drugs, and it can also be a helpful factor with respect to the considerations in the treatment of addiction and as well as physical and mental improvement of addicted people.

Keywords: addiction, exercise, health, neurotransmitter, treatment.