Wenbin Shen: Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Changshu Hospital of Nantong University, Changshu No.2 People's Hospital, Changshu, Jiangsu, China.
Xiaoxiao Wang: School of Foreign Studies, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao, Shandong, China.
Qin Li: Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Changshu Hospital of Nantong University, Changshu No.2 People's Hospital, Changshu, Jiangsu, China.
Qingguo Ding: Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Changshu Hospital of Nantong University, Changshu No.2 People's Hospital, Changshu, Jiangsu, China.
Hongqiang Zhang: Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Changshu Hospital of Nantong University, Changshu No.2 People's Hospital, Changshu, Jiangsu, China.
Zheng Qian: Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Changshu Hospital of Nantong University, Changshu No.2 People's Hospital, Changshu, Jiangsu, China.
Zhixin Sun: Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Changshu Hospital of Nantong University, Changshu No.2 People's Hospital, Changshu, Jiangsu, China.
Xingyu Chen: Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Changshu Hospital of Nantong University, Changshu No.2 People's Hospital, Changshu, Jiangsu, China.
Jun Zhang: Department of Psychiatry, Changshu Third People's Hospital, Changshu, Jiangsu, China.
Mengqi Zhao: School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, Zhejiang, China.
Lina Huang: Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Changshu Hospital of Nantong University, Changshu No.2 People's Hospital, Changshu, Jiangsu, China.
Wei Xing: Department of Radiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Changzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Objective: Subthreshold depression (StD)/subsyndromal depression refers to a threatening precursor to depression. Aerobic exercise is a promising self-supportive adjunctive intervention and an effective measure for StD. Our study utilizes regional homogeneity (ReHo) to investigate the impact of aerobic exercise on resting-state brain function. Methods: A total of 78 subjects, aged between 18 and 48 years, (StD group, = 44; healthy control (HC) group, = 34) engaged in moderate-intensity aerobic exercise 3-4 times per week for 8 weeks. Resting-state brain function and structural images were acquired before and after the exercise intervention. The ReHo method was employed to analyze abnormal changes in regional brain function, and a correlation analysis was performed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) scores. Results: The principal observation reveals synchronous abnormalities in the right anterior cingulate gyrus of the brain in StD subjects compared to HCs at baseline, with these differences dissipating after the implementation of aerobic exercise. After completing the aerobic exercise program, the StD group exhibited a difference in the right middle cingulate gyrus, while the left supplementary motor area (SMA) was altered in the HC group. Conclusion: Disparities in neural synchronization are evident between HCs and StD subjects, and the implementation of aerobic exercise intervention can effectively mitigate these distinctions, leading to a significant reduction in depressive symptoms among StD subjects. The primary mechanism of StD symptoms may involve the inhibition of the anterior cingulate gyrus, while the effects of aerobic exercise may be related to the modulation of neural synchronization of emotional reflexes. The discovery of these fMRI evidence findings may offer novel strategies for early detection and intervention in cases of StD.
