User:Kewright89/sandbox

fMRI
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a technique used for multiple purposes which shows the uses of oxygen by the brain, allowing for the identification of which portions of the brain are using more oxygen, and thus being used during a specific task. This is called the Blood Oxygen Level Dependent or BOLD hemodynamic response. The technique is also used in drug development, a wide-variety of research, and diagnostically.

Studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have shown that it has potential to be used as a method of lie detection. While a polygraph detects changes in activity in the peripheral nervous system, fMRI has the potential to catch the lie at the 'source'. However, the neurobiological systems that relate to lying are currently poorly understood. The current consensus is that faced with a forced choice paradigm, in which a subject has the choice of telling the truth or spontaneously generating a lie, lying can be distinguished due to increased prefrontal and parietal lobe activity. More specifically, the superiormedial and inferolateral prefrontal cortices show net activation in the process of spontaneous lie generation (which involves suppression of the truthful response as well as generating a conceivable lie). There also is evidence of increased activation in the anterior cingulate cortex when lies are told. Subjects are often offered monetary incentive if they can successfully deceive the process in hopes of generating a 'real world' scenario. Using this method, an initial 2005 study on individuals ( not group averages as previous studies) without pattern recognition and automation showed that lies can be distinguished 78% of the time. That statistic has risen, in one study, to 100% when predicting a lie in an individual when baseline lie/truth levels were closely studied with training from pattern recognition technology (machine learning). fMRI does rely upon the individual remaining still and safeguards in the analysis such that the questions can not be gamed by the participant (G. Ganis 2010). Studies have been done on Chinese individuals and their language and cultural differences did not to change results. To show the robustness of this fMRI technology, a study (S. Spence 2011) was done that showed fMRI lie detection / truth verification technology worked even in a group of 52 schizophrenic patients, 27 of whom were experiencing delusions at the time of the study.

There are currently two companies No Lie MRI Inc. and Cephos Corporation that are advancing this technology and offer it presently for commercial use. Recent attempts to introduce fMRI lie detection evidence in US Federal and State courts have been unsuccessful. In 2007 on episode 93 of the TV program Mythbusters, the three members of the build team attempted to fool a non-automated fMRI test done by Cephos Corporation. Although two of the members were unsuccessful at fooling Cephos, the third member was able to successfully fool Steve Laken of Cephos, according to this member by keeping his mind in constant activity. The one out of three failure rate suggested that fMRI-based lie detection required further development. Also in 2007, the University of Pennsylvania group, used fMRI to test a Washington Post reporter. The reporter was asked to pretend to apply for a job using a resume that included among other true items, three specific biographical items that were false. The test was able to detect two out of 3 items the reporter lied about.