Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40596321›Full record

SynthesisScientific reports2025

A systematic review and coordinate-based meta-analysis of resting-state fMRI in athletes from open and closed skills sports.

Zhurui Yan, Mengqi Zhao, Yapeng Qi, Antao Chen, Hong Mou, Xize Jia, Yingying Wang

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing 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

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
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

7 authors.

Zhurui Yan *School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8060-7344
Mengqi Zhao *School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1230-2116
Yapeng QiSchool of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China.
Antao ChenSchool of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China.
Hong MouSchool of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China.
Xize JiaSchool of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China. jiaxize@foxmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4698-8723
Yingying WangSchool of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China. wangyingying@sus.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9242-9861

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China 32271131National Natural Science Foundation of China 82001898Research and Innovation Grant for Graduate Students, Shanghai University of Sport YJSCX-2024-031
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The impact of prolonged sports training on athletes' brain functional activity remains inconclusive. A systematic review and coordinate-based meta-analysis of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-MRI) is necessary to identify functional connectivity changes induced by prolonged sports training. A total of 31 studies were included in the systematic review, and 18 studies with 347 non-athletes and 327 athletes were analyzed using coordinate-based activation likelihood estimation (ALE) and seed-based d mapping with permutation of subject images (SDM-PSI) meta-analysis. Results revealed that greater functional connectivity in athletes in the paracentral lobule, medial frontal gyrus, precuneus, inferior parietal lobule, supramarginal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, Rolandic operculum, and median cingulate/paracingulate gyri (DCG). Consistent changes in the DCG were identified in closed-skill sports athletes. Furthermore, increased regional functional activity was observed in the posterior cingulate gyrus, lingual gyrus and cerebellum. Both meta-analytical methods emphasize altered functional activity within the default mode network (DMN), cerebellar network (CBN), ventral attention network (VAN), visual network (VA), and sensorimotor network (SMN). These findings suggest that long-term sport training optimizes connection strength and efficiency in brain regions associated with visual attention, cognitive and motor control in athletes. Overall, our study reveals shared neural adaptations across different types of athletes, offering new insights into the effects of long-term specific training on brain functional connectivity in specialists.

Indexed as

AthletesBrainMagnetic Resonance ImagingSportsBrain MappingHumansRestActivation likelihood estimationAthletesFunctional connectivityMeta-analysisResting-state functional magnetic resonance imagingSeed-based d mapping

Identifiers

PMID40596321
PMCPMC12214797

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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 Socratic graph.