Resting‐State Functional Alterations Associated With Endurance Training in Amateur Marathon Runners
- 1Department of Neurology Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital of Wuhan Tongji Medical College Huazhong University of Science and Technology Wuhan People's Republic of China
- 2Department of Radiology Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University Wuhan People's Republic of China
Abstract
Background Amateur marathon runners (AMRs) engage in long‐term endurance training in non‐professional contexts, yet the intrinsic brain functional organization associated with amateur marathon training remains unclear. This study examined resting‐state functional alterations in AMRs using regional homogeneity (ReHo), amplitude of low‐frequency fluctuations (ALFF), and seed‐based functional connectivity (FC). Methods Sixty‐two AMRs and 42 healthy controls (HCs) underwent resting‐state fMRI. Group differences in mean ReHo (mReHo) and mean ALFF (mALFF) were first examined, followed by seed‐based FC analyses. Within the AMR group, partial correlation and exploratory voxel‐wise correlation analyses were performed to assess associations between imaging measures and behavioral and running‐related variables. Results AMRs showed increased mReHo in the left cerebellar lobule VI extending to the lingual gyrus and in the right lingual gyrus, and decreased mReHo in the medial orbitofrontal cortex. They also showed decreased mALFF in the right insula and increased mALFF in the left precuneus extending to the paracentral lobule. Seed‐based FC analyses revealed stronger FC involving medial orbitofrontal‐insula/superior temporal and medial orbitofrontal‐supplementary motor circuits, right lingual‐occipital/cerebellar visual regions, and right insula‐inferior frontal/striatal regions. Within the AMR group, right insula mALFF was positively associated with weekly running volume, while exploratory voxel‐wise analyses additionally identified associations involving the left calcarine cortex, left fusiform gyrus, and left cerebellar Crus I. Conclusions AMRs showed distributed resting‐state functional alterations involving visual‐cerebellar, insular, motor‐control, and higher‐order regulatory systems. Given the cross‐sectional design, these findings should be interpreted as associations rather than evidence of training‐induced neural adaptation.
Related
- Differences in cerebral haemodynamics associated with long-term endurance training in older adults
- Trajectories of cardiopulmonary adaptation and executive function in elite endurance athletes receiving transcranial direct current stimulation with interval training
- Effects of hip stability training versus standard care on Q-angle and pain in marathon runners with patellofemoral pain syndrome: A retrospective cohort study
- Transient and Immediate Motor Effects of Endurance Training in People With Multiple Sclerosis: The Exploratory TIME Study
- Adding Tat‐Beclin1 to an endurance training program promotes additive improvements in physical function in aged male mice
BibTeX
@article{guo2026restingstate,
title = {{Resting‐State Functional Alterations Associated With Endurance Training in Amateur Marathon Runners}},
author = {Fangliang Guo and Houjie Ni and Minghui Zhu and Yushuang Li and Yilin Zhao and Yawen Ao},
journal = {Brain and Behavior},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1002/brb3.71908},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.71908},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Resting‐State Functional Alterations Associated With Endurance Training in Amateur Marathon Runners
AU - Fangliang Guo
AU - Houjie Ni
AU - Minghui Zhu
AU - Yushuang Li
AU - Yilin Zhao
AU - Yawen Ao
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/10
JO - Brain and Behavior
DO - 10.1002/brb3.71908
UR - https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.71908
AB - Background Amateur marathon runners (AMRs) engage in long‐term endurance training in non‐professional contexts, yet the intrinsic brain functional organization associated with amateur marathon training remains unclear. This study examined resting‐state functional alterations in AMRs using regional homogeneity (ReHo), amplitude of low‐frequency fluctuations (ALFF), and seed‐based functional connectivity (FC). Methods Sixty‐two AMRs and 42 healthy controls (HCs) underwent resting‐state fMRI. Group differences in mean ReHo (mReHo) and mean ALFF (mALFF) were first examined, followed by seed‐based FC analyses. Within the AMR group, partial correlation and exploratory voxel‐wise correlation analyses were performed to assess associations between imaging measures and behavioral and running‐related variables. Results AMRs showed increased mReHo in the left cerebellar lobule VI extending to the lingual gyrus and in the right lingual gyrus, and decreased mReHo in the medial orbitofrontal cortex. They also showed decreased mALFF in the right insula and increased mALFF in the left precuneus extending to the paracentral lobule. Seed‐based FC analyses revealed stronger FC involving medial orbitofrontal‐insula/superior temporal and medial orbitofrontal‐supplementary motor circuits, right lingual‐occipital/cerebellar visual regions, and right insula‐inferior frontal/striatal regions. Within the AMR group, right insula mALFF was positively associated with weekly running volume, while exploratory voxel‐wise analyses additionally identified associations involving the left calcarine cortex, left fusiform gyrus, and left cerebellar Crus I. Conclusions AMRs showed distributed resting‐state functional alterations involving visual‐cerebellar, insular, motor‐control, and higher‐order regulatory systems. Given the cross‐sectional design, these findings should be interpreted as associations rather than evidence of training‐induced neural adaptation.
SN - 2162-3279
ER -