MRI- A New Test of truth telling and deception

In an article "Brain Mapping of Deception and Truth Telling about an Ecologically Valid Situation: Functional MR Imaging and Polygraph Investigation—Initial Experience" By Feroze B. Mohamed, PhD, Scott H. Faro, MD, Nathan J. Gordon, MA, Steven M. Platek, PhD, Harris Ahmad, MD and J. Michael Williams, PhD in Radiology 2006;238:679-688 the authors examined the neural correlates during deception and truth telling by using a functional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging technique and an ecologically valid task and to compare the results with those of a standard polygraph examination. They Found During the deception process, specific areas of the frontal lobe (left medial and left inferior frontal lobes), temporal lobe (right hippocampus and right middle temporal gyrus), occipital lobe (left lingual gyrus), anterior cingulate, right fusiform gyrus, and right sublobar insula were significantly active. During the truth telling process, specific areas of the frontal (left subcallosal gyrus or lentiform nucleus) and temporal (left inferior temporal gyrus) lobes were significantly active. The polygraph examination revealed 92% accuracy in deceptive subjects and 70% accuracy in truthful subjects.

Specific areas of the brain involved in deception or truth telling can be depicted with functional MR imaging.