Correlation analysis of EEG alpha rhythm is related to golf putting performance

Abstract

Abstract It is aimed at finding the correlation between golfer’s performance and EEG signals from the successful and unsuccessful putts. To address this issue, the inertial motion capture(mocap) system and wireless Emotiv equipment have been introduced to collect simultaneously the golfer’s performance data and EEG signals in 6 right-handed expert golfers and 6 right-handed amateur golfers. Inertial mocap modules were placed on right arm, right leg of subjects and the club-head. Subjects stood upright on a golf green simulator while playing 80 golf putts with Emotiv recording simultaneously. Then, wavelet packet decomposition(WPD) was used for extracting the alpha wave: low-frequency(8–10 Hz) and high-frequency(10–12 Hz). The correlation of alpha rhythm power spectral in two electrodes should be estimated to analyze the relationship between successful and unsuccessful putts and EEG signals. The results of the statistical variance indicated that AF3-AF4(left ahead frontal-right ahead frontal areas) and O1-O2(left occipital-right occipital areas) had a higher spectral correlation of alpha rhythm in successful putts than that in unsuccessful putts. Alpha rhythm (8–12 Hz) in the successful putts was higher than that in the unsuccessful condition and fluctuated obviously. F3-AF3(frontal-ahead frontal areas), F3-O2(left frontal-occipital areas), F4-F8, F4-O2(right frontal-occipital areas) and F4-AF3 had a higher negative correlation of successful putts from -2 s to zero time than that from the -5 s to -2 s of the putting time. P7-AF3(parietal-ahead frontal areas) had a higher negative correlation of both successful putts and unsuccessful putts from -2 s to zero time than that from the -5 s to -2 s of the putting time. P7-O2(parietal-occipital areas) had a higher negative correlation of successful putts from -2 s to zero time than that from the -5 s to -2 s of the putting time. P8-AF3 and P8-O2 had a higher negative correlation of the successful putts from -2 s to zero time than that from the -5 s to -2 s of the putting time. Experimental results of the club-head putting acceleration showed that the putting acceleration of overall high-skilled golfer was more stable than that of amateur golfers’, that had a higher successful rate of putts. Statistical results of putting acceleration of the professional players and amateur players indicated that professional players had a higher successful and stable putts than others. Experimental results demonstrated that alpha rhythm plays a major role in cognition, judgment, sensory and motor.