An Infrasonic Missing Fundamental Rises at 18.5Hz

Abstract

The Missing Fundamental phenomenon is an auditory processing artifact arising from the perception of a complex tone following a harmonic structure with the fundamental frequency removed. Constructive interference of the harmonic series' component waveforms elicits a perceptible tone at the fundamental frequency’s pitch. Binaural auditory beats (BAB) may also generate perceptible pitches. Mechanisms in BAB and missing fundamental tone generation are shared. A harmonic series suggesting to an infrasonic f₀ (p1/f noise and BMF conditions (p<.001*). It appears that an infrasonic missing fundamental tone is generated, despite the normally imperceptible nature of the sound. This computational phenomenon may occur throughout the cortex and may be able to influence or induce different conscious states. The practical implications of altering cortical activity may be relevant in understanding processing disorders such as ADHD and Schizophrenia.