Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain could be more effective than lie detectors at showing whether a person is telling the truth, U.S. researchers said.
Dr. Scott Faro, a radiology professor at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, said when people lie, they use different parts of their brains than when they tell the truth. These brain changes can be measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging, Faro said in presenting a study Monday to the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.
"There may be unique areas in the brain involved in deception that can be measured with fMRI," Faro said.
Faro's studies showed lie detectors and fMRI accurately distinguished truthful responses among participants but fMRI also showed activation in several areas of the brain during deceptive responses.
Faro said because physiologic responses can vary and in some cases be regulated, the polygraph is not considered a reliable means of lie detection. He added it is too early to tell whether fMRI can also be fooled in this way.
© Copyright 2004 by United Press International
