# The Effect of Music Stimulation on Resting-State Brain Functional Networks Following Exhaustive Endurance Exercise: An EEG Study

## TL;DR

This study shows that listening to music during intense exercise helps the brain function more efficiently, improving endurance and reducing mental fatigue.

## Contribution

The study provides neurophysiological evidence that music optimizes brain network organization during physical stress.

## Key findings

- Music significantly prolonged the time to exhaustion in athletes.
- Music reduced alpha- and beta-band global connectivity post-exercise while strengthening functionally relevant couplings.
- Music prevented maladaptive connectivity shifts seen under fatigue, such as excessive SN–CEN coupling.

## Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this research is to examine how motivational music immediately impacts the brain’s functional connectivity patterns in male athletes following a single session of intense endurance exercise, utilizing resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) and brain network analysis methods. Methods: The study involved 34 healthy male athletes who were tasked with performing incremental cycling exercises until exhaustion, both with and without music. Their resting-state EEG was recorded before and after the exercise. Brain functional networks were analyzed in the theta, alpha, and beta frequency bands based on changes in phase locking value (PLV). Specifically, the study examined the central executive network (CEN), default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN), sensorimotor network (SMN), and dorsal attention network (DAN), assessing their topological properties using graph theory methods. Results: Music significantly prolonged the time to exhaustion. Across frequency bands, the music condition exhibited higher global and local efficiency compared with the no-music condition. Following exhaustion without music, beta-band connectivity significantly increased, suggesting compensatory hyper-synchronization under fatigue. In contrast, music led to reduced alpha- and beta-band global connectivity post-exercise, accompanied by selective strengthening of functionally relevant couplings, particularly between SMN and CEN, and enhanced DAN–DMN coordination. Additionally, music prevented maladaptive connectivity shifts observed under fatigue, including excessive SN–CEN coupling. Conclusions: Exhaustive exercise without music induces widespread beta-band hyper-connectivity, reflecting increased neural cost under central fatigue. Music, however, promotes a more efficient and selectively integrated network configuration, supporting the neural efficiency hypothesis. These findings provide neurophysiological evidence that music optimizes large-scale brain network organization under physical stress, thereby contributing to enhanced endurance performance.