LAUSR

Pulse is the perceptual phenomenon in which an individual perceives a steady beat underlying a complex auditory rhythm, as in music. The neural mechanism by which pulse is computed from a complex rhythm is a topic of current debate. Neural Resonance Theory (NRT) predicts that synchronization itself is the neural mechanism of pulse perception and is supported by studies that demonstrate neural entrainment to complex rhythms. Here we report a behavioral and an EEG study of stimulus rhythms that have no spectral energy at the perceived pulse frequency. A dynamical systems model based on NRT predicts that endogenous oscillation will emerge at the “missing” pulse frequency. We observed 1) strong pulse-frequency steady-state evoked potentials (SS-EPs) to isochronous and missing pulse rhythms, but not to a random control; 2) strong coherence between model-predicted SS-EPs and brain responses for all rhythms; 3) differing pulse-frequency activation topographies for missing pulse rhythms versus isochronous and random controls; and 4) differing frequency-following response (FFR) amplitudes for events in missing pulse rhythms versus isochronous and random rhythms. These observations support the theory that the perception of pulse results from the entrainment of emergent population oscillations to stimulus rhythms.Pulse is the perceptual phenomenon in which an individual perceives a steady beat underlying a complex auditory rhythm, as in music. The neural mechanism by which pulse is computed from a complex rhythm is a topic of current debate. Neural Resonance Theory (NRT) predicts that synchronization itself is the neural mechanism of pulse perception and is supported by studies that demonstrate neural entrainment to complex rhythms. Here we report a behavioral and an EEG study of stimulus rhythms that have no spectral energy at the perceived pulse frequency. A dynamical systems model based on NRT predicts that endogenous oscillation will emerge at the “missing” pulse frequency. We observed 1) strong pulse-frequency steady-state evoked potentials (SS-EPs) to isochronous and missing pulse rhythms, but not to a random control; 2) strong coherence between model-predicted SS-EPs and brain responses for all rhythms; 3) differing pulse-frequency activation topographies for missing pulse rhythms versus isochronous and ran...