Modulatory effects of aerobic training on the degree centrality of brain functional activity in subthreshold depression

• Published in: Brain research Vol. 1827; p. 148767
• Main Authors: Huang, Lina, Li, Qin, He, Di, Cheng, Zhixiang, Zhang, Hongqiang, Shen, Wenbin, Zhan, Linlin, Zhang, Jun, Hao, Zeqi, Ding, Qingguo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 15.03.2024
• Subjects: Aerobic training; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Brain Mapping - methods; Degree centrality; Depression - pathology; Depression - therapy; Depressive Disorder, Major - diagnostic imaging; Depressive Disorder, Major - therapy; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging; Subthreshold depression; Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging; Degree centrality; Aerobic training; Subthreshold depression
• ISSN: 0006-8993; 1872-6240
• DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2024.148767

[Display omitted] •Subthreshold depression (StD) is a threatening precursor to the progression of major depression disorder. It can lead to different degrees of impairment of social function and reduced quality of life, causing a huge burden on society, families and individuals.•Due to insufficient social attention to StD, there is often a lack of timely and effective interventions, thus the optimal treatment window is often missed.•Tentative explorations have suggested that aerobic exercise can help alleviate depressive symptoms. However, few studies have focused specifically on the effects of aerobic exercise on StD and the underlying brain functional mechanisms of such effects.•To our knowledge, the modulatory effects of aerobic exercise on the degree centrality (DC) of brain functional activity in the StD population has not yet been reported.•Our findings suggest that regular aerobic exercise can promote brain functional plasticity in StD, and DC is a useful and accessible measure for studying brain functional plasticity induced by aerobic exercise in StD. Aerobic training has been shown to effectively prevent the progression of depressive symptoms from subthreshold depression (StD) to major depressive disorder (MDD), and understanding how aerobic training promotes changes in neuroplasticity is essential to comprehending its antidepressant effects. Few studies, however, have quantified the alterations in spontaneous brain activity before and after aerobic training for StD. Participants included 44 individuals with StD and 34 healthy controls (HCs). Both groups underwent moderate aerobic training for eight weeks, and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data were collected before and after training. The degree centrality (DC) changes between the two groups and the DC changes in each group before and after training were quantified. The rs-fMRI results showed that compared with the HCs, the DC values of the StD group in the orbital region of the left inferior frontal gyrus significantly depreciated at baseline. After aerobic training, the results of the follow-up examination revealed no significant difference in the DC values between the two groups. In addition, compared with baseline, the StD group exhibited an significant decrease in the DC values of the left dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus; while the HCs group exhibited an significant decrease in the DC values of the left thalamus. No statistically significant connection was seen between changes in DC values and psychological scale scores in the StD group. Our findings suggest that regular aerobic training can enhance brain plasticity in StD. In addition, we demonstrated that DC is a relevant and accessible method for evaluating the functional plasticity of the brain induced by aerobic training in StD.