A fish story? Brain maps, lie detection, and personhood

Generations of brain-imaging studies have provided increasingly detailed information about the complexity of human behavior, but few lines of investigations better illustrate the intricacy of the brain's workings than the neural processes involved in lying or deceiving. And perhaps none make clearer the difficulty of accurately distinguishing between truthfulness and untruthfulness with new imaging technology. Moreover, we must ask ourselves if we are laying a foundation of risk regarding the very idea of creating brain maps of behavior and personal identity and whether these maps are ready for such real-world applications as law, employment, and insurance. When technology of this kind moves out of the hands of researchers and becomes available for practical uses, the lives of individuals and future of our society may be profoundly affected.