Structural and Network Adaptations in Visuospatial Cortical Regions of Elite Soccer Players: A Morphometric and...

Regular physical exercise induces neuroplastic adaptations that may enhance cognitive function. However, the long-term impact of soccer training on brain structure and network organization remains unclear. This study investigated structural brain adaptations in elite soccer players using voxel-based morphometry (VBM), surface-based morphometry (SBM), and structural covariance network (SCN) analysis. High-resolution MRI was acquired from 31 elite soccer players and 30 matched non-athlete controls. Compared to controls, athletes showed increased gray matter volume in the left calcarine sulcus, greater cortical thickness in the left pericalcarine cortex, and reduced sulcal depth in the bilateral precentral gyrus. Cortical thickness in the pericalcarine cortex was positively correlated with training years, while sulcal depth in the right precentral gyrus was negatively associated with weekly training hours. Although global SCN metrics did not differ between groups, athletes exhibited significantly higher nodal efficiency in the right cuneus and right lateral occipital cortex-key regions for visuospatial processing. SCN robustness under targeted and random attacks was comparable across groups. These findings suggest region-specific differences in neuroplasticity and local network efficiency, which may be consistent with the neural efficiency hypothesis and warrant further investigation into the potential role of long-term soccer training in visuospatial processing.