Physical Exercise to Redynamize Interoception in Substance use Disorders.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Physical exercise is a promising, cost-effective, medication-free adjunct for substance use disorders (SUD).
• Limited evidence necessitates understanding exercise's mechanisms in SUD to optimize its application.
• Current understanding lacks a clear framework for how exercise impacts SUD neurobiology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel framework conceptualizing physical exercise as an "interoception booster" for SUD.
• To explore the role of interoception and bodily signal interpretation in SUD.
• To reframe exercise interventions for SUD based on neurocognitive mechanisms.

Main Methods:

• Review and synthesis of existing literature on exercise, interoception, and SUD.
• Discussion of insular cortex function in reward-seeking and homeostatic imbalances.
• Analysis of effort perception during physical exercise as a therapeutic target.

Main Results:

• Physical exercise may enhance interoception, aiding individuals with SUD to better interpret bodily signals.
• Mismatches in bodily states contribute to reward-seeking behaviors in SUD, potentially modulated by the insular cortex.
• Effort perception during exercise offers a framework for improving interoception in SUD.

Conclusions:

• Physical exercise can be reconceptualized as an "interoception booster" for SUD treatment.
• Optimizing exercise interventions requires understanding their impact on interoceptive processing.
• Future research should employ mixed-design neurocognitive methods to investigate this approach in SUD.