Brain Scans Prove Best Lie Detectors

"We are going to the source, we are going to the region of the brain which is actually formulating a response."

Polygraphs have long been the standard in lie detection. They work on the basis of recording blood pressure, respiration and the skin's ability to conduct electricity which increases when you perspire. Polygraphs do not measure deception, they measure arousal and because of that, they can be fooled. The machine used to detect deception itself can be deceived and that includes generating false positives when there is no deception. Temple University researchers have discovered different parts of the brain become activated when lying as opposed to when being truthful. Using fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) scans, unique regions of the brain were seen to light up only during lying. The researchers pointed out there is no single lying center of the brain because of the multitude of processes that take place when lying. But there is a consistency in brain patterns which go beyond conscious control and which brain scans detect. Another finding of theirs is that the brain must work a lot harder to lie than tell the truth. They also say because it is more difficult to change what your brain is doing as opposed to suppressing your nervous system responses, fMRIs are a lot harder to fool at the game of lie detection. In July of this year, two companies announced they were marketing the first lie detectors using MRIs. Both No Lie MRI and Cephos claim the machines can detect a liar with 90% accuracy. They project law enforcement, accused persons, spouses under suspicion and job applicants as potential customers for the technology. The latter is of significant interest. By law employers are not allowed to give polygraphs to potential employees but this law does not apply to MRI tests. Some scientists, lawyers and ethicists are concerned over the potential pitfalls and misuses of this technology. The technology has yet to prove itself under real world conditions and requires far longer research into before admitting their results into court. A USA Today article detailing the release of this technology from No Lie MRI and Cephos can be found here.