Corticomuscular Coupling Analysis in Archery Based on Transfer Entropy

Studying the information transfer between the brain and muscles during archery can help us to understand the underlying mechanisms of corticomuscular coupling during motor learning. In this study, we recruited 26 novice archers as participants and calculated the transfer entropy (TE) between their EEG and EMG signals during the archery process. This was performed to assess the characteristics of corticomuscular coupling during archery and the impact of a period of archery training on this coupling. The results indicate that information transfer from EEG to EMG in the α and β frequency bands predominates during archery, which may be related to the roles of α and β frequency bands in inhibitory control and the sustained contraction of muscle stability. Additionally, the optimization of brain resource allocation resulting from a period of archery training is primarily reflected in the prefrontal cortex and motor cortex, where the information transfer from EEG to EMG decreases while activation related to inhibitory control increases. The intensity of corticomuscular coupling weakens with an increase in the number of arrows shot, but archery training reduces the impact of fatigue-induced changes on corticomuscular coupling.