Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42597180›Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in psychiatry2026

Comparative effects of different types of exercise interventions on addictive craving, negative affect, and cognitive function in substance use disorder: a substance-subgroup stratified network meta-analysis.

Haixin Li, Baoxia Chen, Shuting Shao, Junfei Zhang, Zhenguo Shi

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Haixin LiSchool of Physical Education, Shandong University, Jinan, China.
Baoxia ChenSchool of Physical Education, Shandong University, Jinan, China.
Shuting ShaoSchool of Nursing, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Junfei ZhangSchool of Philosophy and Social Development, Shandong University, Jinan, China.
Zhenguo ShiSchool of Physical Education, Shandong University, Jinan, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: Recovery in patients with substance use disorder (SUD) involves improvement across addictive craving, negative affect, and cognitive function, with differential responses across neuropharmacological subgroups. This study analyzed the effects of different exercise modalities to provide evidence for symptomatic management in SUD patients. Methods: Seven databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EBSCO, Scopus, Google Scholar, and CNKI) were systematically searched. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2 tool, and a frequentist consistency model was fitted in Stata 19. The standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) served as the effect size; the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) quantified relative efficacy. Results: Forty-four RCTs (57 independent comparisons, 3,198 patients) were included. For addictive craving, multicomponent exercise (ME; SUCRA = 0.882) and aerobic exercise (AE; SUCRA = 0.749) ranked highest and were statistically significant versus control (CON). For negative affect, AE (SUCRA = 0.880) and ME (SUCRA = 0.697) ranked highest with statistical significance. For cognitive function, AE ranked highest (SUCRA = 0.770), though no intervention reached significance versus CON. Subgroup analysis showed ME, mind-body exercise (MBE), and AE ranked high and were significant for craving in stimulant use disorder (StUD); AE ranked high and was significant in non-stimulant use disorder (Non-StUD). Conclusion: Exercise effects in SUD patients are outcome-specific and substance subtype-dependent. ME and AE showed clear benefits for addictive craving; AE and ME positively affected negative affect; AE demonstrated a stable effect on cognitive function. ME, MBE, and AE may be more effective for craving in StUD, whereas AE and resistance exercise (RSE) may be preferable in Non-StUD. These findings may inform symptom-targeted and stratified exercise-based rehabilitation for SUD patients. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD420261388220.

Indexed as

addictive cravingaerobic exerciseexercise interventionnetwork meta-analysissubstance use disorder

Identifiers

PMID42597180
PMCPMC13467921

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.