Correlation Between Resting-state Electroencephalographic Characteristics and Shooting Performance

According to the theories of neural plasticity and neural efficiency, professional skill training improves performance by strengthening the underlying neural mechanisms. Therefore, subjects trained professionally may exhibit changes in resting-state neurophysiological characteristics closely related to performance. To test this notion, the resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG) was measured from 35 rifle shooters after the same training regimen, and resting-state EEG characteristics were analyzed for correlations with shooting performance. The results showed a significant linear correlation between shooting performance and the coherence of electrode channels C3 and T3 in the beta1 band (r = 0.74, P < 4.2 × 10−6). There was also a significant linear correlation between the characteristic path length of the resting-state theta band brain network and shooting performance (r = 0.56, P < 0.0005). This study identifies potential neural mechanisms underlying successful shooting and a new method for predicting and evaluating performance based on EEG characteristics.