Effects of open motor skill training on brain gray matter volume: activation likelihood estimation analysis based on voxel-based morphometry

Brain plasticity, or neuroplasticity, is the brain's capacity to form new neural connections throughout life. This ability is significantly influenced by motor skill training, as shown by extensive research, including animal studies and human neuroimaging. However, while numerous studies have explored gray matter volume (GMV) in open skill athletes, most have focused on single sport, lacking a comprehensive analysis of open skill sports. Thus, this study aims to comprehensively analyze GMV changes in open skill athletes across various sports. We employed activation likelihood estimation to analyze 14 studies, encompassing 576 subjects, 74 foci, and 19 contrasts, comparing open skill athletes with a control group. Our findings indicate that athletes engaged in open skill sports demonstrate significant increases in GMV across several brain regions, including the right superior frontal gyrus orbital part, postcentral gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, left precuneus, inferior temporal gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, and precentral gyrus (uncorrected, p < 0.001). After familywise error correction, the increase in the right superior frontal gyrus orbital part and postcentral gyrus remained statistically significant (p < 0.05). This research reveals consistent increases in GMV within particular brain areas, a result of varied open motor skill training.