fMRI brain images uncover
deception
Researchers at MUSC, collaborating with Cephos Corp. and Department of
Defense Polygraph Institute, generate a a 90 percent accuracy rate in
the largest ever fMRI-based deception detection study and were the
first to do so in individual subjects. Results published confirm Cephos
Corp. is on track to commercial availability of services in 2006.
Dr. Mark George
demonstrates the brain's response to deception on an fMRI image.
F. Andrew Kozel, M.D., a former MUSC faculty member, and Mark S. George, M.D., distinguished professor of psychiatry, radiology and neurosciences, have for the first time successfully distinguished truth-telling from deception within individuals using fMRI brain scanning.
With 61 participants, this study is the largest of its kind. Researchers initially scanned 30 subjects to understand the brain regions involved in deception, and then, in a blinded fashion, asked whether they could predict when subjects are lying in the scanner. They found a 90 plus percent accuracy rate obtained for individuals. Most prior fMRI deception studies have only published group average statements, and whether fMRI could be reliably used to detect deception within individuals has been unclear. The article, Detecting Deception Using Functional MRI study can be found online in Biological Psychiatry, a leading science journal http://journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/bps/inpress.
“This is the third in a series of studies that Dr. George and I started more than six years ago at MUSC,” commented Kozel, an MUSC assistant professor of psychiatry when he did this work, who is now at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. “With this recent study we have not only replicated the group results from our prior two studies, but we have successfully developed a method to test if an individual is lying. Further work using a scenario that is closer to a real world situation is ongoing.” Kozel added, “In December 2004, we initially presented our findings of developing a method to achieve reliable individual results to detect deception at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Annual Meeting. Because of the known difficulty with replicating neuroimaging results, however, we waited until we had validated the method in an independent group to publish.”
“I have been thinking about imaging and lie detection for more than 15 years now, and it is gratifying to see this important advance,” said George. “We have known for years that certain brain regions are involved in attending to a complex problem, with others involved in stopping overlearned responses. Finally, we know all about the brain regions involved when you are anxious. These different brain events (attending, not telling the truth, worrying about the lie) are all part of telling a lie. We were able to break through an important barrier and use this to predict individual responses through continual refinements in technology (higher field strengths of scanners) as well as developing sophisticated methods of imaging data analysis that allow us to pick out brain patterns during response.”
This study was funded by MUSC, Cephos Foundation—a new firm that has licensed the MUSC patents in this area, and the Department of Defense Polygraph Institute.
“The positive peer reviews coupled with the outstanding feedback from our board of legal, forensic and scientific advisors afford us every confidence that fMRI-based deception detection will soon begin to transform the judicial system much in the same way scientifically sound DNA analysis has,” said Cephos founder and CEO Steven Laken, Ph.D., noting that for the first time lie detection is moving away from stress responses (e.g. polygraph, voice stress) to the actual involuntary brain activity required for communicating and disseminating lies.
“There is enormous potential for Cephos’ deception detection services to change the world of litigation,” said Robert Shapiro, nationally recognized criminal defense attorney and Cephos Corp advisor. “I’d use it tomorrow in virtually every criminal and civil case on my desk. This technology will revolutionize how cases are handled by allowing the truth to prevail undeniably.”
With the “exceptionally strong” results of the 61-person study and an additional study underway, funded by the Department of Defense, designed to test “real world” deception scenarios, Laken says the company is hitting all the necessary benchmarks to meet their goal of commercial availability. “In 2006 our deception detection services will be used by civil and criminal litigators in actual cases,” said Laken. “From there, we will bring our services to other industries with a vested interest in the veracity of its participants.”
Friday, Sept. 30, 2005
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