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Related Experiment Videos

Prefrontal white matter in pathological liars.

Yaling Yang1, Adrian Raine, Todd Lencz

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-1061, USA. yalingy@usc.edu

The British Journal of Psychiatry : the Journal of Mental Science
|October 4, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Pathological liars exhibit distinct brain structure differences. This study reveals increased prefrontal white matter and reduced grey/white matter ratios in individuals who frequently lie, suggesting a neurobiological basis for deceitful behavior.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry
  • Brain Imaging

Background:

  • Previous functional imaging studies indicate bilateral prefrontal cortex activation during deception in healthy individuals.
  • No prior research has investigated structural brain differences in individuals with a propensity for deceit.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate potential structural abnormalities in prefrontal grey and white matter volumes in individuals who habitually lie.
  • To compare brain structure between pathological liars, antisocial controls, and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

  • Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was employed to assess prefrontal grey and white matter volumes.
  • Participants included 12 individuals identified as pathological liars, 16 antisocial controls, and 21 normal controls.

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Main Results:

  • Individuals who lie pathologically demonstrated a significant increase in prefrontal white matter volume (22-26%).
  • Liars also exhibited a substantial reduction in prefrontal grey/white matter ratios (36-42%) compared to both control groups.
  • These structural differences were specific to the pathological liars group.

Conclusions:

  • This study presents the first evidence of a structural brain deficit associated with pathological lying.
  • The findings implicate the prefrontal cortex in the neural circuitry of deception.
  • These results offer an initial neurobiological correlate for a deceitful personality.