We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Enhanced structural connectivity within the motor loop in professional boxers prior to a match.
- Authors
Ogino, Yuichi; Kawamichi, Hiroaki; Takizawa, Daisuke; Sugawara, Sho K.; Hamano, Yuki H.; Fukunaga, Masaki; Toyoda, Keiko; Watanabe, Yusuke; Abe, Osamu; Sadato, Norihiro; Saito, Shigeru; Furui, Shigeru
- Abstract
Professional boxers train to reduce their body mass before a match to refine their body movements. To test the hypothesis that the well-defined movements of boxers are represented within the motor loop (cortico-striatal circuit), we first elucidated the brain structure and functional connectivity specific to boxers and then investigated plasticity in relation to boxing matches. We recruited 21 male boxers 1 month before a match (Time1) and compared them to 22 age-, sex-, and body mass index (BMI)-matched controls. Boxers were longitudinally followed up within 1 week prior to the match (Time2) and 1 month after the match (Time3). The BMIs of boxers significantly decreased at Time2 compared with those at Time1 and Time3. Compared to controls, boxers presented significantly higher gray matter volume in the left putamen, a critical region representing motor skill training. Boxers presented significantly higher functional connectivity than controls between the left primary motor cortex (M1) and left putamen, which is an essential region for establishing well-defined movements. Boxers also showed significantly higher structural connectivity in the same region within the motor loop from Time1 to Time2 than during other periods, which may represent the refined movements of their body induced by training for the match.
- Subjects
BODY movement; BOXERS (Sports); BODY mass index; FUNCTIONAL connectivity; MOTOR cortex
- Publication
Scientific Reports, 2021, Vol 11, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
2045-2322
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/s41598-021-88368-4